Queen Elizabeth II is turning 90, and Canada will be there to celebrate with her; well, at least four of us will be.
Canada’s The Tenors — Remigio Pereira, Victor Micallef, Fraser Walters, and Clifton Murray — will be performing for the Queen at her 90th birthday festivities, which are taking place in London over four days, starting Thursday.
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Taking a studio break from recording their new album (yes, they’re back in the studio), The Tenors are “excited, flattered and honoured” to be singing for Queen Elizabeth and representing their country. Other artists performing include Kylie Minogue and Andrea Bocelli.
Global News spoke to Clifton Murray about the honour, what songs they’ll be singing, and what the vibe is like in London.
Clifton Murray: Oh, it is. It’s very exciting for me, but probably even more exciting for my mother. [Laughs] It’s so remarkable to be around somebody who has so much influence on the planet. She’s the longest-reigning monarch in history, of any country. She’s also the head of the church that my family’s a part of. It’s so significant. We’re honoured, it’s a “pinch me” moment.
Do you get to meet her?
There’s a good chance we’re going to meet her. We’ve been invited to a tea — all the performers have — which we’ve actually attended in the past, at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. It’s mind-blowing for us, since we get to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity again. This invite back is quite special, not only to be celebrating Her Majesty, but also to be representing Canada.
Certainly. There are horses everywhere, everyone’s dressed to the nines, it’s very posh. Soldiers and representatives from all over the world, dancers from Fiji, military people … you feel like you’re in this incredible Narnia. [Laughs] There’s something to see everywhere you go.
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What’s the vibe like there in London?
Oh, it’s joyous. Everybody is coming to this part of the world, Windsor is packed with tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen. It’s a time of celebration. She’s linked to the English people, so everyone’s celebrating. The rain isn’t getting anyone down, they’re jolly in spite of it all.
We have three sections and four shows. Each show will have representatives of the royal family, and then on the fourth night, Her Majesty will be in attendance. So we have three nights to get it right, before she shows up. [Laughs] We’ll be opening up the show with two of our songs, including Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
A little bit later on, there’s a Canadian section of the show when we’ll be singing The Maple Leaf Forever; we’ve created a four-part arrangement and a big orchestral. We will be performing Andrea Bocelli’s Nelle Tue Mani from Gladiator, too.
Sure. We’re just doing it better. [Laughs] No, but seriously, every night is special for us. That’s our mandate for every event we ever do: every time we perform, we do it like it’s our last.
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