Andrew Kesler was heartbroken when he found out the show would not go on. Two years ago, Kesler and his bandmate Danny Fong, both from Saskatoon, had been preparing to hit the stage with their vocal sextet Accent in its Canadian premiere. With only one week before showtime, it all came to a screeching halt by the pandemic.

Andrew Kesler is excited for friends and family to finally see Accent live on stage. (Accent Vocal)

“My immediate reaction was intense disappointment because we’d spent so much time, energy, and money developing the show,” says Kesler. “There was a lot more important things to worry about at the time but, we were so excited to finally have friends and family see us live.”

“I was getting my pre-tour haircut and remember being so anxious about things closing down, I sat through the whole thing in silence,” says Fong. “After 10 years, I’ve still only sung for audiences of mostly strangers. This performance means a lot to me.”

The wait is finally over for Accent. Now, Andrew Kesler (Canada), Danny Fong (Canada), Jean-Baptiste Craipeau (France), Simon Åkesson (Sweden), Evan Sanders (USA) and James Rose (United Kingdom) are returning to Saskatoon with a show that’s sure to amaze.

Accent with the SSO is the group’s first orchestral Pops performance and it’s all about pushing musical boundaries.

“My hope is that we live in the moment on stage, that we continue growing in this adventure of performing.”

Danny Fong, says playing with the SSO is a prestigious opportunity. (Accent Vocal)

“My hope is that we live in the moment on stage, that we continue growing in this adventure of performing,” says Fong. “I hope we can do this show with other orchestras around the world. It’s just another way of keeping the music we love feeling fresh.”

The self-described “music nerds” from all over the world met online and quickly became fans of each other. The six began to collaborate online recording their first YouTube video in 2012. In the years that followed, they’ve recorded 5 albums and toured all over the world. The symphony performance was created with the help of Nashville orchestrator Jim Gray. The SSO’s CEO Mark Turner says it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.

“This show is going to be like Manhattan Transfer, meets Pentatonix, meets a retro episode of Glee.” Turner adds, “This is a true pop show with an awesome mix of old school music and new fascination. Audiences will be blown away by the tight, complex harmonies that are Accent’s signature sound.”

This performance is a chance for Kesler and Fong to reconnect with their roots and to introduce Saskatoon to the other talented musicians within Accent. The concert will be a mix of jazz, progressive rock and chart toppers.

“The literal meaning of harmony runs deep within us.”

“The literal meaning of harmony runs deep within us,” Kesler says. “Getting along, creating something better than ourselves individually is what it’s all about. We hope the audience leaves having experienced the contagious joy we feel when we perform together.”