Renowned piano/vocal duo to perform in theatre camp benefit concert
The renowned piano/vocal duo of Marvin Goldstein and Vanessa Joy (in photo at right) will perform in a special one-night only concert to benefit the Playground drama day camp scholarship fund. The concert takes place on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. in Marvel Theatre at SUNY Fredonia.
All proceeds will go to scholarship fund for Playground, a theatre day camp entering its seventh season. The scholarships help ensure all children are able to attend the camp.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door the night of the concert. They are available through the SUNY Fredonia Ticket Office, 716-673-3501 or www.fredonia.edu/tickets.
Marvin Goldstein is an acclaimed pianist and performer who has been performing for more than 50 years. He began his career at age nine playing the accordion and on to the piano. At 18, he was awarded a music scholarship to Tel Aviv University School of Music in Israel. Then he went to the famed “Mozarteum” of Salzburg, Austria. He completed his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
Goldstein has traveled and performed extensively in Jerusalem, Egypt, Copenhagen, London, Canada, Australia, with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square in Salt Lake City on New Year’s Eve 1999 and at the Venetian Hotel Showroom in Las Vegas, Nevada to name a few.
Goldstein has recorded almost 50 CDs and has arranged 15 piano solo arrangement books, including many sacred hymns.
He plays all styles of music including pop, show tunes, soul, R&B, country, patriotic, gospel, and the classics. He has played soul with Thurl Bailey and Pam Laws, spiritual with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and country with Billy Dean. His performances feature audience participation and Victor Borge-style humor.
Described as “a marvelous voice, natural acting talent and a love of the theatre have kept Vanessa Joy on stage most of her life,” by jazz artist Ron McCroby, Vanessa Joy starred in her first Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta at age 13. She earned her degree in Music from Brigham Young University and also received a music scholarship. At Ricks College Vanessa was a member of Showtime Company and performed, soloed and toured throughout the country.
She has performed with a variety of prestigious ensembles including Sweet Adeline’s, Augusta Chamber Singers, CWRU Chorale, concert choirs, madrigal groups, jazz bands, women’s choruses, and show choirs. She has shared the stage with many accomplished singers including Grammy award winner Billy Dean and NBA star Thurl Bailey.
Joy was recently selected as the vocalist for the DVD “Expressions Of Our Savior” a compilation of inspirational artwork by Greg Olsen. She just completed her debut solo album, “THE VOICE,” as well as her debut inspirational album, “SWEET BY AND BY.”
She has performed throughout the country and overseas. She sang for the deputy ambassador in Cairo, Egypt and at the Daniel Pearl World Music Days. She also soloed internationally for Ein Bustan on the Sea of Galilee Peace Benefit Concert in Tiberius, Israel.
The SUNY Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance is collaborating with Venture Productions to produce the seventh annual Playground drama day camp, a campus-based cultural experience that reaches out to young people in a unique way. The camp runs from Aug. 12 to Aug. 24 with two sessions. The first is for children ages 12 to 17 from Aug. 12 to 17 and the second is for children ages 8 to 12 from Aug. 19 to 24.
Grants from The Fredonia College Foundation’s Carnahan-Jackson Humanities Fund and the Department of Theatre and Dance helped the camp to begin in 2007.
