Kim Richardson Sings Duke Ellington

The Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal (ONJ) will pay tribute to the legendary duo Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. Led by Marianne Trudel and featuring the captivating voice of Kim Richardson, this concert will revisit Ellington’s timeless standards — including Take the A Train, Caravan, Cotton Tail, Perdido, and Sophisticated Lady — arranged for Fitzgerald’s iconic vocal style. Blending swinging elegance with modern flair, this vibrant performance will reimagine these melodies for a new generation.

Artists

Kim Richardson
Kim Richardson is a Canadian singer and actress, born in 1965 in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Coming from a large family of musicians, she is the daughter of renowned singer Jackie Richardson.

Her career began at an early age: at just 14, she was already performing in Toronto bars. She rose to wider recognition in the mid-1980s with the singles He’s My Lover (1985) and Peek-a-Boo (1986), which earned her two consecutive Juno Awards (Most Promising Female Vocalist and Best R&B/Soul Recording). In 1988, she moved to Montréal, a place she would come to call home and one that offered her great artistic freedom.

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Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal
The Orchestre national de jazz (ONJ) was founded in 2012 by producer and director Jacques Laurin, with the support of Christine Jensen, Marianne Trudel, Jean-Pierre Zanella, Samuel Blais, André Leroux, Frank Lozano, Alexandre Côté, Jocelyn Couture, Aron Doyle, David Carbonneau, Bill Mahar, Dave Grott, David Martin, Jean-Nicolas Trottier, Bob Ellis, Rémi-Jean LeBlanc, and Kevin Warren.

It is a variable-sized orchestral ensemble ranging from 10 to 45 musicians, from a tentet to a Jazz Studio Orchestra. Depending on the repertoire, the ensemble includes wind, string, and percussion instruments. Performing jazz, pop, world music, and film scores, the ONJ has shared the stage with artists such as Diane Dufresne, Kim Richardson, Ranee Lee, Karen Young, Ingrid Jensen, Terence Blanchard, Bendik Hofseth, and Aaron Parks.

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