Matt Mardini chante Sinatra & Aznavour @ Rialto

Imagine. Frank Sinatra and Charles Aznavour sharing the stage, performing their greatest hits. On September 14, 2022, Montreal crooner, Matt Mardini, will bring audiences as close as possible to living that impossible fantasy at the Rialto Theatre.

As surprising as it may sound, no crooner has ever performed such a tribute to the two giants of American and French music in a single live show, in French and English. Mardini’s motivation for doing so goes beyond the obvious. “I worship Sinatra and Aznavour. Their songs are the cornerstones of my repertoire, but there’s a more personal reason for bringing their music together,” explained Mardini. “Aznavour and Sinatra were both children of immigrants, Armenian and Italian respectively. For an immigrant artist like myself, there is no bigger inspiration. It is an honour to keep their memory and songs alive.”

Mardini hails from Syria. Before making Montreal his home, he honed his craft in small and large venues, TV shows, and private events in the Middle East, Europe, the US, and Canada. His repertoire includes some of the most beautiful songs of all-time. On stage, he switches seamlessly between English, French, Spanish, Italian, Armenian, and Arabic lyrics.

Matt Mardini Sings Sinatra and Aznavour will be his second concert at the Rialto in collaboration with the Syrian Cultural Center in Montreal. Supported by a fifteen-piece band and backup singers, led by the accomplished musical director Arden Arapyan, the spectacle will showcase Mardini’s own arrangements of his favourite Sinatra and Aznavour hits. “It will be impossible not to sing along,” promised Mardini. “Whether you’re a better singer in French orEnglish, it doesn’t matter. This is a show where everyone’s memories will come alive and everyone will find joy.”