Puttin' on the Ritz draws record crowd
Music Hall was the place to be New Year's Eve '06. More than 3,000 revelers turned out Sunday night to see Erich Kunzel conduct the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in a glitzy song-and-dance show, followed by (for those who paid) a gala donor dinner.
It was the biggest audience for a New Year's concert since the 1999 Millennium show, says the CSO's Carrie Krysanick. I was amazed at the box office line -- clear across the main lobby, with most concert-goers dressed to the nines. To be expected, lots of them were last-minute purchasers, which is a trend the symphony is seeing, as are many other arts groups, Carrie says.
The show traveled from Offenbach's can-can and Gershwin's "American in Paris" to the American songbook (Cole Porter, Harold Arlen and Jerome Kern). Where would Kunzel be without CCM? He invited a few singers/dancers from CCM and Wright State, the May Festival Youth Chorus and Winton Woods High School Varsity Ensemble, and Cincinnati Studio Tap Dancers.
Here's what I thought worked best:
"Singin' in the Rain," by CCM senior Billy Tighe. He copied Gene Kelly's choreography wonderfully, complete with top hat and umbrella.
"Over the Rainbow," sung by CCM grad Kristine Reese. She could take a few lessons from Judy Garland in terms of color and expression, but what a great song. And the choral back-up was top-notch.
"Puttin' on the Ritz" with the Cincinnati Studio Tap Dancers shimmying in red fringe, 20s-style, and Karen Callaway Williams electrifying with her tap dance moves.
I'm wondering, with "Happy Feet," whether there's going to be a tap dance revival?
1 Comments:
Janelle, kudos to you and your career! May God continue to bless you!
It has been some time now since I attended a Halloween concert by Eric Kunzel & the Cincy Pops. Like you, it was my pen that got me there. I covered the recording aspect and interviewed Mr. Kunzel for an AV magazine. I found Cincinnati to be a lovely city. The acoustics of the symphony hall were excellent. The Pops was in tune and on-time. The program was excellent, starting with the famed and familiar Mephisto Waltz.
I love your website. You have a fantastic background. I have hardly any music education but I managed to work for two classical music stations in my area thanks to a great accumulated knowledge of the classics, which have thoroughly enlighted my life.
Thus with many tunes in my head, persistence and the meager ability to notate the melodies, I have become what I call a "right-handed composer." And I hope to have my musical staged yet this year. So the conclusion is, obviously, that performance and composing need not be intertwined skills. There are many skilled musicians available to arrange my works as well.
Thank You!
Jim Stokes
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