Enjoying “A Night Of Broadway”
I attended the Saturday, July 15 “A Night of Broadway” concert at the Windham Hill United Church of Christ and enjoyed every minute of it. “A Night of Broadway” was held there Friday night, too. This year’s production was held in memory of Bob McLeod, who passed away in January. He was a dedicated supporter and deacon of the Church, and used to video the performances of this annual show.
This was the ninth “Music on the Hill” show. The McLeods’ children, Jennifer and Bryan were two of the four soloists.
Pastor Sally Colegrove, introduced the program. Daniel Strange directed, produced, and accompanied the singers. His piano playing is skillful. I think the program should include a solo by him, too.
The booklet we received, full of interesting ads, tells about the entertainers, too.
Daniel Strange is this Church’s minister of music. He has produced this “Night of Broadway” program for six years. He is a senior at USM, majoring in jazz studies, with a concentration in piano performance. He also studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2005 he traveled to Greece with Professor Bill Street to teach and perform jazz as part of an USM exchange.
Jennifer McLeod has sung in several theaters, and on television she has been in “Witch Hunt” on the History Channel. She has been a featured soloist in the Portland Symphony, and hosts their “KinderKonzerts.”
Bryan McLeod graduated from Wisconsin’s Lawrence University, known for its undergraduate music conservatory, with a voice performance and history double major. He was at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute one summer. He was a member of the Windham Chamber Singers when they took first place in the International Youth Festival in Vienna. He also sang with the Portland Opera Repertory Theatre in their operas.
Kelly Canfield has spent the past eight months in New York City, and she is very excited to be back in Maine and onstage. She will be singing locally in musicals, in July, October, and December.
Matthew Small has returned to Maine for a fifth year with “Music on the Hill.” He has sung with many groups. He previously worked in public relations and marketing for theatres in Maine and New York. He is a graduate of Windham High School and the University of Maine. In May 2007 he will earn a master’s in counselor education from the University of Maine following a yearlong elementary school counseling internship.
As I drove into the church yard, showing me a parking place and also greeting me, was Bob Nunley, who is a Windham neighbor of our friends, Jan and Art Perrin. Our family had a very pleasant week years ago in the Perrins’ home, while they were traveling abroad. The Nunleys were our next-door neighbors then. I’m pleased that he still recognized me!
The church as completely filled, with a most enthusiastic audience. The applause included several vocal shouts, too. It was a wonderful show, with all the singers, as well as their piano accompanist, showing their pleasure in being part of the production.
The audience, of course, knew many of the famous Broadway songs. I’ll include a few: “I Got Rhythm,” from Gershwin’s “Girl Crazy,” sung by Canfield; “The Sound of Music,” from Rodgers/Hammerstein’s musical with the same title, sung by Jennifer McLeod; “O What A Beautiful Morning,” from Rodgers/Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma,” sung by Bryan McLeod; and “Leaving On A Jet Plane,” from Denver’s “Almost Heaven,” sung by Small; “The Less of Old Virginia (1776),” sung by Bryan McLeod, both showed these singers’ outstanding acting ability, too. Bryan McLeod’s dancing to his singing, had us all in laughter.
We all left the hall in a happy mood, and then there was an encore for us, refreshments served in the Fellowship Hall, behind the church, after the show.
Looking for afternoon organ concerts
I was talking last week with friends in Lincoln County, and we were upset that the Kotzschmar organ concerts, in Portland’s City Hall Auditorium, are scheduled for evening performances.
My friends especially wanted to hear the Kotzschmar concerts, which I recall often used to be held in the afternoons. These ladies do not enjoy long ride driving after dark, and there are many miles between Portland and their homes.
I wonder if the concert committee would consider some daytime concerts.
Better news about Barbaro
The Associated Press’s July 14 release about the famous horse Barbaro said that the disease in his left hind leg might be fatal.
The news got better the next day, July 15, as headlines said “Barbaro’s doctor upbeat after a difficult couple of days.”
Of course we all hope that he will recover. In the later report, the chief surgeon reported that the Kentucky Derby winner had a “good night and even slept on his side.” The treatment of the laminitis in his “good” left hind leg is being treated aggressively, and he continues to respond well.
May the good news continue.
RECIPE
This recipe from the June 21 Boston Herald is from Chef Jorg Amsler of Saugus, Mass., and this dessert will be served in his new restaurant in Kenmore Square this month. He was at one time here in Maine, and was the preferred pastry chef of the Bush family in Kennebunkport. He also catered parties for them.
TRULY JORG’S CREAM CRANBERRY POUND CAKE
1 cup butter
2-1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
8 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extras
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
Beat butter and sugar until soft and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time and six well. Combine flour and baking soda in a separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture, alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Add cranberries and mix for another minute. Pour batter into a 10-inch tube pan and bake in preheated 325-degree oven for about 45 minutes or until done. Serve warm or cold with fresh summer fruit or berries, fresh whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 8 to 10.
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