AMY MCCONNELL has been performing from the age of nine months when she appeared in her first television commercial. Amy continued her childhood career as a regular on the TfO TV series “Téléfrançais” and in various professional theatrical productions such as “The Sound of Music” and “A Christmas Carol.”
Amy went on to win a scholarship to study musical theatre performance at the American Academy of Musical and Dramatic Arts in Manhattan. Studying acting made Amy feel (and it has had this effect on countless actors before her) that what she really wanted to do was direct.
Amy returned to Toronto to study film at Ryerson Polytechnic University and has since become an award winning film and commercial director.
However, Amy has never been able to resist the siren song of… song and she works in both film and music. Amy’s recordings include the voice of drag queen Miss Conception on the musical “A Dragged Out Affair” currently making the film festival rounds and the official recording of the anthem “Good Old Brighton Town.” Amy also does voiceovers for various commercial clients including Telus, Audi and Astra Zeneca.
Despite her anglophone name, Amy comes from a francophone background, is fluently bilingual and frequently performs in French. Known for her beautiful voice, impeccable intonation and emotional approach, Amy’s style encompasses jazz, pop and musical theatre.
WILLIAM SPERANDEI (trumpeter, pianist) is a Toronto musician, composer, arranger, and bandleader. His love of the trumpet began in grade school where he studied privately with Bram Smith. He continued his education at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, on a full scholarship and for two and a half years studied classical music and played in diverse ensembles including orchestra, wind ensemble, brass trio, and jazz ensemble, as well as leading his own jazz quintet.
At the recommendation of Wynton Marsalis, Sperandei left Canada to continue his studies at the University of New Orleans under the direction of Ellis Marsalis. During the time he lived in Louisiana, he played with some of the best of the best including Nicholas Payton, Marcus Roberts, Ellis Marsalis, Harold Battiste, Victor Goines, Charmaine Neville, and Harry Connick Jr. and in 1992, two years prior to his graduation from the UNO, he opened for Wynton Marsalis at the Rome Jazz Festival. It was during the same 1992 European tour Sperandei undertook a stint teaching jazz improvisation at the University of Innsbruck in Austria
Possessing wide-ranging performance skills, William Sperandei has played Polish Opera, Flamenco music, worked with Canadian soul/pop artist, Gerald Eaton (Jarvis Church), and blues legend Colin James. He is a respected sideman on the Toronto jazz circuit in live performance and in the recording studios. He performs in two classical ensembles – The Niagara Brass, led by former tutor and internationally renowned recitalist James Tinsley, and a classical ensemble headed by Charles Schlueter, principal trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He also plays with various Toronto-based artists and ensembles includingTyler Yarema and His Rhythm, Janice Hagan, Danny B., and Jake and the Blue Midnights. He was a member of the Jake Wilkinson and The Funky Boot Brass Band when they performed in concert during the “Sound of Toronto Jazz” Series at the Ontario Science Centre on December 14, 1998.
William has played with Wynton Marsalis, Charmaine Neville, Ned Gould, Brian Blade, Marcus Roberts, Paul Anka, Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Ron Sexsmith, Lori Cullen, Shannon Butcher, Robi Botos, Nicholas Payton and more.
William had both an acting and playing role in the musical ‘Swingstep’ and on the television show ‘Instant Star’, for which he also composed music.
In addition to producing his own two albums (“Bobo’s Blues” 2000 and “When I Fall In Love” 2008) William has Produced 4 recordings for Charlie Schlueter, principle trumpet of the Boston Symphony.
As a player, William has appeared on over 100 recordings in the classical, jazz, pop, electronic and film genres and has also arranged music for dozens of artists.
William recently performed as the trumpet of Louis Armstrong in the live film score for the biopic “Louis” written by Wynton Marsalis.
William is currently a member of bands such as Mario Romano, Michael Kaeshammer, Brandi Disterheft and Emilie-Claire Barlow.
