The season will launch on October 23, 2 pm, with a performance by Brian Gillie: "Broadway, Hollywood and Swing Era Song & Dance." Gillie, a singer, dancer, pianist, drummer, teacher and masterful entertainer, will give a song and dance performance featuring hits by George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George M. Cohan. Due to a death in the family, the Sunday, November 6th performance with Roland Chirico, known as The Trumpet Man, is postponed until Sunday, April 22nd, 2012. We apologize for the change in schedule. On January 22, 2 pm, crooner Raymond Suntino will present: "That’s Amore: An Afternoon of Romantic Italian and American Songs." Suntino’s mastery of beloved Italian songs, and his magnetic personal charm, have made him one of the region’s most popular performers. He will be joined by vocalist Graziana Lazzaro from New York. The popular St. Luke’s Steel Band will return to the Hamden stage on February 26 for a concert entitled "Joyous Sounds of the Caribbean." The high-energy, award-winning band, with 15 members of all ages, is hailed as one of the most unique and exciting performing ensembles in the state. Their repertoire includes calypso, reggae, popular, and island folk music. The season finale on March 4 will feature Giacomo Gates, the renowned American Jazz vocalist known for "scatting" or "vocalizing as an instrument". His current CD, "The Songs of Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will be Jazz," was recently number 1 on the National Jazz Weekly Radio Charts for over three weeks. All events will be held in the handicapped-accessible Thornton Wilder Hall, Miller Cultural Complex, 2901 Dixwell Avenue, Hamden. Admission is $7 general admission/ $5 for senior citizens, students and children 12 and under. Tickets are sold at the door only. The series is presented with support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism and Commissioner Emeritus Peter Hereld. For information, please call the Arts Commission at (203) 287-2546. |