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Heartfelt harmonies and tender tributes: PTE’s “Dear Mom” celebrates motherhood through music and memory.
This Mother’s Day, Prairie Theatre Exchange invites audiences to celebrate the complexity, humour and heart of motherhood with Dear Mom—a concert that promises not only memorable music but also moving stories that strike close to home.
Dear Mom takes place on Sunday, May 11 at 3:00 p.m. on the PTE Mainstage. The show features a six-person ensemble performing songs made famous by the likes of Jann Arden, Carole King, Dolly Parton and Phil Collins, all threaded together with real-life stories submitted by PTE audiences.
Rochelle Kives, one of the vocalists in the show, recently joined Classic 107 to talk about the unique and intimate celebration.
“The music is wonderful and also the idea of the concert as a tribute to moms,” she said. “I’m so grateful to my mom, everything she’s done for me, and of course being a mom, which is my greatest role. So it just seems like the perfect opportunity and the perfect concert to celebrate Mother’s Day.”
Alongside Kives, the ensemble includes vocalists Carlyn Graff-Czehryn and Aaron Hutton, guitarist Kyle Cobb, cellist Patricia Vannucci, and associate music director Brady Barrientos on keyboards. While Kives has worked with Barrientos and Cobb in the past, this is her first time performing with Vannucci and the others—an experience she describes as “fabulous.”
“The cello is such a lovely addition… it just really enhances the music,” said Kives.
The show is curated by PTE artistic director Ann Hodges, who selected the songs first and then worked the audience-submitted stories and poems into the flow of the concert. “She did a great job of weaving the stories in between the songs,” said Kives. “The segues are really lovely and flow in a great way.”
According to Kives, the transitions will be supported by lighting to heighten the emotional atmosphere, but the overall effect will be more intimate than theatrical. “It’s really going to be honed in on the singers, the musicians, and the stories,” she said.
Kives, who has a young daughter of her own and plans to spend the morning with her family before the concert, admitted that rehearsals have already been quite emotional. “Carlen and I… we got emotional reading these stories and then singing these songs that are about being moms,” she said. “We’ll try not to get too teary-eyed.”
The concert includes a mix of solos, duets and trios, all arranged by music director Paul De Gurse. “Paul De Gurse is a genius,” said Kives. “He made all the arrangements for the orchestra and then all the harmonies for us and they sound incredible. He gave us some tough harmonies, but they sound amazing.”
Without giving too much away, Kives shared a few of the songs featured in the show, including “Good Mother” by Jann Arden and “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins. There’s also a Carole King tune that takes on new meaning when viewed as a tribute to her daughter.
“All with the common theme of love for children, mothers, mother figures,” said Kives. “Because that shows up in many different ways for many different people.”
As for what she hopes audiences will take away from the performance? “I hope that they take away how important moms are in our lives, how much they do for us,” said Kives. “That we aren’t anything without our moms or our grandmothers or the people who came before us… it’s all about celebrating the gift that is Mom.”
For those looking to add something truly meaningful to their Mother’s Day celebrations, Dear Mom offers not only a concert but a chance to reflect on and honour the women who shape our lives.
Dear Mom takes place on Sunday, May 11 at 3:00 p.m. on the Mainstage at Prairie Theatre Exchange, located in Portage Place in downtown Winnipeg. Whether you’re bringing your own mom or simply celebrating the spirit of motherhood, this concert offers a heartfelt and meaningful way to spend the afternoon—full of music, memories, and a few happy tears.