“Hollywood Hit Parade” concert on Commencement Eve

Rockefeller Arts Center will salute SUNY Fredonia Class of 2006 with a musical retrospective of the greatest hits from the silver screen in “Hollywood Hit Parade,” the 2006 Commencement Eve Pops Concert, on Friday, May 12.

Bruce Johnstone, director of jazz studies at the Fredonia School of Music, will lead the 17-piece Little Apple Big Band.

Curtain time for “Hollywood Hit Parade” is 8 p.m. in King Concert Hall. The 2006 Commencement Eve Pops Concert is sponsored by WDOE 1410-AM and 96 Kix-FM.  Tickets can be purchased at the Central Ticket Office, located in the Williams Center at the heart of the SUNY Fredonia campus, or by calling 716-673-3501. This call is toll-free at 1-866-441-4928.  

The 2006 Commencement Eve Pops Concert will feature performances of some of the most popular songs from the golden age of Hollywood. The first act will include such Academy Award-winning classics as “Over The Rainbow, ” “Baby, it’s Cold Outside” and “Moon River,” Oscar-nominated tunes like “Cheek to Cheek,” “The Trolley Song” and “The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” as well as favorites like “Get Happy,” “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” and “Singin’ In The Rain.”

After a brief intermission, listeners will enjoy more Academy Award winners like “Evergreen,” “A Whole New World,” “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “My Heart Will Go On,” as well as award nominees “Charade” and “You’ve Got A Friend In Me.” Classics like “As Time Goes By,” “Goldfinger” and “That’s Entertainment” will round out the vocal performances for the evening.

Music accompaniment for this final event in the 2005-2006 Someplace Special Pops Series event will be provided by the 17-piece Little Apple Big Band, comprised of some of the finest jazz musicians in Buffalo and Erie, Penn. The Little Apple Big Band will be directed by Bruce Johnstone, a member of the SUNY Fredonia School of Music faculty whose impressive performance resume includes extended stints with such artists as Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon. 

The Little Apple Big Band will offer instrumental performances of the overture to “That’s Entertainment,” “Gonna Fly Now (The Theme from “Rocky”) and the theme from “The Pink Panther.”

Starring in “Hollywood Hit Parade” will be eight of the top vocalists from the SUNY Fredonia School of Music, including:

• Vocal Performance and Music Education major Bradley Carson, a leading man in the 2005 Hillman Opera at SUNY Fredonia, Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutti.”
  
• BFA Theatre major Eric Deiboldt, who appeared as The Scarecrow in the 2006 Walter Gloor Mainstage Series spring musical production of “The Wizard of Oz.”
  
• Vocal Performance major Kelly Distefano, a three-year member of the prestigious Fredonia Chamber Singers.
  
• BFA Musical Theatre major Kara Infantalino, the Wicked Witch of the West in the 2006 Mainstage production of “The Wizard of Oz.."
  
• Music Business major Matthew Korzelius, a popular singer with SUNY Fredonia’s jazz groups.
  
• Music Education major Colin Pazik, who appeared in Hillman Opera productions of “Candide” (2004) and “Cosi Fan Tutti” (2005).
  
• Musical Theatre major Jenna Spitale, star of the Mainstage Series major dance concert “The Rite of Spring and Other Dances."
  
• Vocal Performance major Alissa Stahler, who had memorable roles in the Hillman Opera production of “Cosi Fan Tutti” (2005) and the Mainstage musical “Barnum” (2005).

“I think it’s going to be a blast,” said Mr. Johnstone. “I really like the kids we have as vocalists. They are very talented, and I think they are going to give some strong performances.”

Commencement Eve 2006 is produced by Rockefeller Arts Center Director Jefferson Westwood. Mr. Westwood has mounted Commencement Eve programs at Rockefeller Arts Center annually since 1992.  “We have been planning this concert and researching, acquiring and commissioning arrangements for over three years,” Mr. Westwood said, “but the hard work is worth it. I am absolutely delighted to work with talented individuals like Bruce Johnstone, (stage director) Paul Mockovak and our extremely talented cast and crew.”

Designers for the 2006 Commencement Eve Pops Concert include Mike Barczys (lighting), Seth Easter (set) and Laurel Walford (wardrobe). Paul Mockovak of the SUNY Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance is the stage director.