IN CONCERT
What: Ken Lavigne concert
Where: Christ Church Cathedral
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the door, Ivy's Books, Long & McQuade
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Fans of Victoria tenor Ken Lavigne turned out in droves for his gala Celtic Christmas pub night at the Bard and Banker earlier this month -- and helped raise $80,000 for his upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall.
"It went wonderfully well and we had a tremendous turnout," said the singer who hopes to have a similar mob show up Jan. 22 in New York. That's when he has rented the Carnegie's famous Stern Hall, which holds 2,800.
He is also hoping for a good crowd when he sings tomorrow night at Christ Church Cathedral, in a program featuring Christmas music, a 60-voice choir and nine-piece ensemble. He also appears Sunday with the Canadian Tenors at the Royal Theatre.
"We're into the big push right now and I hope we do well. I also have my new Christmas CD out, with all funds going to the Carnegie Hall event," said the slightly nervous Victoria-born Lavigne, 35, who trained at the local conservatory of music.
Lavigne still has plenty to raise for his New York debut, but is taking the risk because he is tired of waiting for his big break. "I want to make it happen."
Last May, when he first started talking about renting the celebrated venue, the dollar was at par and he didn't have all the numbers in.
"I thought it might cost around $80,000. But now we are looking at roughly $170,000, with publicity and advertising, and the dollar has dropped 25 per cent. So that makes it more challenging still, closer to $200,000. We're talking about numbers I've never seen in my life before and it's becoming a distraction. But we have these two more events."
He has already hired an advertising firm, the New York Pops orchestra and is taking his own conductor, Simon Capet.
But how are sales going at Carnegie Hall?
"I'm almost afraid to find out," he joked, adding several dozen people from Victoria have said they are going to the Big Apple to witness him taking a big bite out of it.
"It's amazing and really flattering to hear people taking their own initiative and going to New York."
And raising so much money at the pub event was a huge shot in the arm.
"It really went off beautifully even though I was very nervous.
I've not been at the helm of a gala before and man the economy has made a big downturn. The tickets were $400, an incredible amount. But the owner, Matt McNeil, was behind me from the get go and has organized pub nights like this before."
Lavigne was also nervous about "getting up and singing Granada to a bunch of drunken people in a pub, but it was great. People arrived early and started drinking champagne. They were pretty blasted when I got up on stage."
