Grand Salon Orchestra

Ottawa's sold-out Viennese ball celebrated its 15th anniversary Saturday looking renewed, rejuvenated and ready to dance until the wee hours in the gorgeous Great Hall of the National Gallery of Canada. ... CBC TV's Adrian Harewood MCd the $400-a-ticket dinner, and the Grand Salon Orchestra and The Stevens & Kennedy Band filled the hall with beautiful and fun music all night long.

"I just wanted to write to you to say thank you for such a wonderful evening! Our patrons loved the show and it was such a great sight to see so many people out to the theatre to enjoy those classic songs. Everyone always looks forward to Kerry coming back to the Festival to perform, and this year he sure did not disappoint in the least! I know everyone will be talking about Saturday night for the rest of the summer. Congrats on a wonderful performance!"

Grand Salon Orchestra celebrated the 150th Anniversary of Herbert's birth with a Tribute To Victor Herbert, Saturday, February 7, 2009, at the Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts, Markham, Ontario. The Grand Salon Orchestra offered up the rarely performed "Royal Sec (1885)" and nostalgic medleys from operettas such as The Red Mill, Babes In Toyland and The Fortune Teller. It was as fine a re-introduction to the Herbert body of work as anyone in attendance could request. (See full review, also VH Source newsletter, March 2009.)

"Kerry Stratton has the pizzazz that classical music needs," says Barbara Johnston of the Brockville Concert Association, which is responsible for bringing the Grand Salon to Brockville. "We need more people like him - people who are dedicated to keeping good-quality music alive." Ask Kerry why he formed the Grand Salon, and he'll tell you that he was trying to recreate a piece of "North Americana." The Grand Salon brings to life the music of a gentler age in music when, as Kerry explains, it was cherished and wasn't a disposable commodity. "The salon era was a time before radio, and it was a time when music was consumed live."

"There were more than 400 patrons out to enjoy Kerry Stratton and The Grand Salon Orchestra on Sept 28 at the Brockville Arts Centre. Their unique arrangements of popular music of the '20s/'30s helped to cheer the audience on a rainy afternoon and their mission to make music fun and accessible to all was accomplished. The professionalism of the conductor with his natural verve and wit took it to another level."

The Grand Salon Orchestra was profiled on CFMX in Sept 2007.