Histoires de Paris (Stories of Paris) by The Cadillac Trio

ABOUT

The Cadillac Trio comprises versatile soprano Louise Howlett, violinist Elina Koytcheva and pianist Albert Combrink. The trio presents Histoires de Paris (Stories of Paris) - a programme of evocative songs and pieces from the famous city, with works by Faure, Debussy, Saint-Saens, Hahn, Porter and Piaf.

Soprano Louise Howlett is known on stage as being a classically trained soprano who can effortlessly slip between styles to jazz and broadway, whilst off stage she is an avid promoter of classical music as well as a presenter on Fine Music Radio. Elina Koycheva is regarded as one of Cape Town's most versatile violinists whether playing with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra or as a chamber musician and soloist; and pianist Albert Combrink is celebrated as performer, speaker, historian and teacher.

Together these three musicians are renowned for their innovative programming and their Histoires de Paris will take you on an evocative journey through the streets of Paris and it's celebrated music.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Violinist Elina Koytcheva

Elina was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, into a family of doctors. At the age of 6, she asked her parents for a violin and by the age of 10, she became a full-time student at the Music School in Sofia with violin as her main subject. During her school years she toured to Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico, Greece, Spain and Holland as a member of the renowned Bulgarian Youth Philharmonic Orchestra "Pioneer".

After graduating from the Music Academy Pancho Vladiguerov in Sofia she was accepted to Rotterdam's Conservatorium in the Netherlands, where she graduated under the tuition of Prof. Natasha Morozova.

During her career she has played not only mainstream classical works, but also been part of productions such as "Bernstein on Stage", "Phantom of the Opera", "Evita", "Fiddler on the Roof", "West Side Story". She regularly performed with jazz and pop orchestra Metropole Orkest, backing artists such as Oleta Adams, Al Jarreau, Gino Vinelli, Steve Vai, Herbie Hancock, Tim Ries and others.

In 2005 Elina moved to South Africa and settled in Cape Town. She is a regular ad-hoc player with Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and the founder of Cadillac Music. In addition to her solo work she performs with various ensembles ranging from classical through to jazz, pop, Gypsy, Tango, Latin and Broadway music. Highlights include George Benson's String section at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, as well as Il Divo, Katherine Jenkins, Richard Clayderman, Karen Zoid, Maher Zain, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli productions and Whitney Houston tribute, featuring Belinda Davids.

Louise Howlett - originally from England, studied classical singing at the Royal College of Music with Margaret Cable. She came to South Africa for a gap year to work as Organiser for the National Chamber Orchestra in the North West. She combined artistic administration with her singing in concerts and workshops, and moved to Cape Town in 1999 where she is now firmly settled. While maintaining her classical roots, her love of jazz and the musicals led her to create her own unique combination of Across the Styles singing projects which she regularly performs with pianist Albert Combrink alongside some of Cape Towns finest instrumentalists.

Louise wears a number of 'hats' off stage as well as on. A keen promoter of classical music in Cape Town, she is the General Manager of the Cape Town Concert Series and mentors new generation artists. She is also Artist Liaison for La Motte Wine Estate and co-ordinates amongst all presenters the Unplugged Newsletter, featuring monthly highlights of the classical performances taking place around Cape Town. Louise is also a regular Matinee presenter on Fine Music Radio, and her programme For the Love of Opera features all the latest news and reviews of opera around the world today.

Pianist Albert Combrink studied in Durban and Bloemfontein and is a multi-faceted musician working in a variety of genres: from solo classical, instrumental and vocal accompaniment, chamber music, musicals, Opera, Jazz and Tango, as well as composer and arranger. He is known for his informative programme notes for the Cape Town Concert Series, pre-concert talks at the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra's Symphony seasons, and interesting reviews of concerts across Cape Town. He is also a valued piano teacher and vocal coach.

Internationally he has performed at the Leipzig Gewandhaus and in Singapore, where he gave both classical and Tango recitals. He has a long time association with the Cape Town Tango Ensemble and has collaborated for many years with cross genre singer Louise Howlett.

His love for working with voices took him to the UCT Opera School and the award winning Isango Portabello Company where he was vocal coach for Brett Bailey's Macbeth which has received international acclaim. He also coaches for Cape Town Opera, and he has worked with some of South Africa's top singers including Golda Schultz, Pretty Yende, Pumeza Matshikeza and Lynelle Kenned. He is also often called upon to work with international singers including Lesley Garrett, Niel Shicoff and Katherine Jenkins, and has performed regularly on television for Kyknet, Ontbytsake and Expresso.

Albert is passionate about chamber music and collaborates with local musicians for special 'Heart Project' concert performances. In 2016 he won a Fiesta Award for the show -Hunkering na die Ses which he co-wrote with Lynelle Kenned and Clint Lesch.