In 1934 Cole Porter penned one of the loveliest ballads in the American Songbook, "Easy To Love." Porter's style brought a new level of sophistication and elegance to romance, like gliding across a glittering dance floor. When you hear an orchestra playing it in strict tempo you appreciate how effortlessly the tune flows, a rolling melody and tasteful harmony.
The Space Coast Symphony brings Easy to Love: Broadway's Romance, the love songs of Broadway's most famous composers and their biggest shows to the Sebastian River High School Performing Arts Center on Friday, January 6.
Music from Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Lorenz Hart and Don Black will once more come alive. A trio of all-star soloists join the symphony on stage to perform favorites that include, “If I Loved You,” “With a Song in My Heart,” Some Enchanted Evening,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Blue Moon,” and many more.
"Broadways speaks the language of romance," says Aaron Collins Space Coast Symphony Orchestra Conductor and Artistic Director. "And we have three exceptional performers joining us who will make the songs come alive. You may just fall in love all over again."
The soloists include soprano, Michelle Evans Jarrell, who has been described as a “well-centered lyric coloratura with an especially lovely mid-range,” has been recently named as a 2015 finalist in the American Prize for voice performance (professional women's division). She has an especially lovely middle register, a fine sense of legato, and good audience communication. Operatic highlights include the roles of Pamina, Papagena and the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Magic Flute, as well as “Miss Silverpeal” in The Impresario, and “Cinderella” in The True Story of Cinderella.
Titusville's Michael John Foster's background includes a doctorate in voice performance from the University of Illinois and an international career in performing, directing and teaching. Possessing a rich baritone was Smudge in the touring company of “Forever Plaid” and Tony in “West Side Story,” as well as soloist for works such the Messiah, appearing with groups such as the Skaneatles Choral Society in New York. As a director, he was in charge of productions of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Steel Magnolias” and “Company,” among others.
Matthew Coules, a tenor, is a graduate of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. In recent years, he worked with some of the world’s finest conductors and orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the West-East Divan Orchestra. This will be Coules second season singing with Aaron Collins and The Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. In December of 2016, Matthew was the tenor soloist with the Brevard Community Chorus in their performance of the Bach Magnificat and selections from Handel's Messiah.
Advance tickets are $20 available through http://www.SpaceCoastSymphony.org or at Marine Bank & Trust (beachside and mainland branches). Tickets at the door are $25. The concert is free for those aged 18 and under or with a student ID. For more information, call 855-252-7276 or visit http://www.SpaceCoastSymphony.org