{"id":156442,"date":"2026-04-26T17:03:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T21:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/?post_type=interviews&p=156442"},"modified":"2026-04-26T17:03:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T21:03:38","slug":"operam3f-when-a-jazz-quartet-meets-versatile-voices","status":"publish","type":"interviews","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/interviews-panm360\/operam3f-when-a-jazz-quartet-meets-versatile-voices\/","title":{"rendered":"OperaM3F | When a jazz quartet meets versatile voices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 5 p.m., Op\u00e9raM3F and the Festival de la Voix will present a jazz program at the 9th Grand Hall in the Eaton Centre in downtown Montreal. Jazz pianist Chad Linsley and his quartet (Devon Gillingham on bass, Rich Irwin on drums, and Michael Cartile on trumpet) will share the stage with soprano Kerry-Anne Kutz and mezzo-soprano Kristin Hoff, who is also the artistic director of Op\u00e9raM3F. This inspiring collaboration between multi-talented singers (opera, jazz, Broadway, and pop) and jazz musicians is explained here by Chad and Kristin.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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INFOS & TICKETS HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Questions for Chad Linsley :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PAN M 360\u00a0 : London Jazz News UK describes your style as discrete and delicate. You are certainly deeply rooted in the modern jazz piano tradition. How would you describe the main influences on your playing?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chad Linsley : <\/strong>Like many jazz pianists, Oscar Peterson is a huge hero who shows so many possibilities at the keyboard. My father took me to see him play when I was 11 years old at the jazz festival in Saskatoon, SK along with Dave Brubeck, George Shearing, Jay McShann, and Jaki Byard. While attending a high school summer jazz workshop in Regina, I was given an excellent short list of recordings to check out from Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner. With so much great music to explore, it was easy to feel overwhelmed by all the recommendations and so more personal and unexpected encounters began to emerge and impact \u2013 hearing Bud Powell playing his composition Celia, Bill Evans backing up Tony Bennett, anything by Shirley Horn, Errol Garner playing \u201cThe Way You Look Tonight\u201d, Horace Silver’s funky comping with the Jazz Messengers etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAN M 360: Your approach is deeply rooted in New York jazz piano culture. Since Montreal is close to New York City and that New York aesthetic resonates with us, we\u2019ve been familiar with it and appreciated it ever since Oscar Peterson was a young lion in the late 1940s.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chad Linsley: <\/strong>Absolutely! I was very fortunate to visit there for the first time in 1999 thanks to Iwan Edwards, my large ensemble choral professor at McGill who invited me and some classmates to sing with the St Lawrence Choir at Carnegie Hall with the MSO. For a kid from small town Saskatchewan, this was the adventure of a lifetime! While I was there, I also got to hear and meet Chick Corea at the Blue Note. Though I’ve seen many musicals in London’s West End, I hope to experience a classic Broadway show in NYC someday! My great aunt would dub her vinyl albums of musicals onto cassettes for me so naturally I learned a lot of lyrics to show tunes that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAN M 360 : You’ve performed with jazz singers; I’m familiar with your work with Renee Yoxon, among others. Can you tell us what inspires you when you perform in a piano-and-voice format?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chad Linsley:<\/strong> Ever since I heard Shirley Horn and the Tony Bennett and Bill Evans albums, I’ve craved this level of feeling or immersion in a song with everything I do. The duo recordings of Alan Broadbent and Irene Kral also come to mind along with great arrangers like Nelson Riddle, Marty Paich, Henry Mancini, Robert Farnon, Clare Fischer, and Vince Mendoza.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAN M 360 : This time, you’re working with classically trained opera singers. What’s the challenge this time? How will those voices blend with a jazz ensemble?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chad Linsley:<\/strong> I’ve worked with Kerry-Anne for many years (a fellow Saskatchewanian!) She has such incredible versatility in a variety of musical genres which she shares in common with her husband, Michael Cartile who truly makes the trumpet sing! I’m looking forward to the release of their album next month. Working with Kristin Hoff will be a new experience for me but from what I hear from recordings, her instrument is rich, flexible and she certainly knows how to bring lyrics to life!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAN M 360 :<\/strong> Is the group performing at this concert your regular ensemble? Do you plan to include improvisations between the vocal pieces? Do you encourage the opera singers to improvise?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I regularly collaborate with drummer Rich Irwin and we played a show with bassist Devon Gillingham backing up Jennifer Gasoi, a fabulous singer-songwriter. The fun and flexibility of this group feels like home. As a trio we will definitely be improvising but you’ll have to come check out this unique combination of musical worlds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Questions for Kristin Hoff:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PAN M 360 : What inspired you to create this dialogue between opera singing and modern jazz?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristin Hoff: <\/strong>When Kerry-Anne and I discussed a collaboration between Festival de la voix and 9e Musique@17h, she was quick to suggest programming Chad Linsley and his band for a jazz show. Selfishly, I was thrilled – I\u2019ve always loved singing jazz. In my early 20s, I was studying vocal jazz more seriously than classical singing, and although my path shifted, I never fully left it behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I incorporate jazz repertoire here and there in my programming, and there\u2019s always a bit of nostalgia for me in coming back to it\u2026 perhaps feelings about what could have been. It always feels like reconnecting with an earlier part of myself, and it\u2019s such a joy to get to do that alongside some of Montreal\u2019s incredible jazz musicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAN M 360 : There have been some collaborations between jazz and opera singers, such as Brad Mehldau and Renee Fleming. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve looked into this. What are some examples?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristin Hoff:<\/strong> Singers like Eileen Farrell and Anne Sofie von Otter have made beautiful jazz recordings. Both Anne Sofie and Ren\u00e9e Fleming have collaborated with Brad Mehldau. I think those projects work best when there\u2019s a real understanding of both worlds. Someone like Mehldau, who started out as a classical musician, moves so naturally between classical and jazz. You can feel that depth and understanding in those collaborations – it never sounds forced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAN M 360 : How operatic voices can fit with a jazz ensemble? What are the challenges?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristin Hoff:<\/strong> I can\u2019t really speak for others, but when I sing jazz, I\u2019m not approaching it as an \u201copera\u201d singer. That may be because, even within classical music, I\u2019ve always been especially drawn to new work and creation. In my work with my opera creation company, Musique 3 Femmes, I\u2019m interested in developing opera that feels current and connected to how we experience music today. Contemporary opera already invites more flexibility than traditional repertoire – it asks for a different vocal approach, and a greater sense of freedom. That\u2019s something I really respond to. Whether I\u2019m singing contemporary opera, musical theatre, or jazz, I\u2019m always looking for that sense of immediacy – something that feels alive in the moment and genuinely connected to the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAN M 360 : The phrasing, the rhythm, and the melodic scales (often modal) are quite different, so how can you and Kerry-Anne Kutz adapt to those jazz characteristics without compromising your own training and cultural background?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristin Hoff:<\/strong> Kerry-Anne and I both come to this with a lot of experience in pop, Broadway, and jazz, alongside our classical work. For me, there\u2019s never felt like a compromise in moving between those worlds. If anything, it feels really natural. I\u2019ve found that my voice responds to that kind of exploration – to following instinct, to letting the palette expand a bit. Singing other styles has only ever served my classical work, and at the same time, my classical training gives me a kind of flexibility and colour that I bring into jazz. It all feeds each other in a way that feels very honest to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAN M 360 : In 2026, there are countless opportunities to experience jazz and classical music\u2014far more than ever before, even when you consider the past century (Gershwin, Ellington, Ravel, Var\u00e8se, etc.). What are your thoughts on this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristin Hoff: <\/strong>Love it! Love it! So much stunning music we can share !<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Performing Artists<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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