US Army Band "Pershing's Own"

One of the most anticipated performances this spring at the BCPA, the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" delivered a spectacular performance to a capacity crowd last night. A thrilling concert filled with American anthems, classical selections, marches, and Broadway hits, the band delivered what was promised, a rousing night of big brass sound joyous enough to bring out the Meredith Willson in everyone.

Here's what our patrons are saying:
The U.S. Army Band concert was terrific. I hated for the evening to end. I saw all of the Service bands when I lived in Washington, D.C. and never tired of seeing and hearing them. They are the finest musicians in the world. I hope they will return to the BCPA.

-- Delores Gillian
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There are really no words to describe the US Army Band's concert this past week. What a wonderful performance - the music, commentary, venue, and musicians were superb. I took my two children so that they could experience a group of musicians dedicated to both our country and great music. We all walked away with a renewed sense of patriotism and love of our country.

-- Barb Nielsen
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What a terrific concert performed by the U. S. Army Band. No one could have asked (or expected) anything more. I especially enjoyed the song entitled "The Girl in 14G" — what a clever, funny arrangement sung by a superb singer. I was surprised, however, that there were some empty seats. I thought all the tickets had been "sold" out. I can't imagine why anyone would not attend (having received free tickets) short of a family emergency. It was a wonderful night of entertainment. We got a special surprise when the wife of the conducter walked out into the crowd and chatted with us during intermission. Our son graduated from West Point but was not there during the same time period as the conductor. Anymore military bands available to perform in Bloomington-Normal? Invite them all!

-- Don Cavallini
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Last night Robbi Muir and I had the pleasure and honor to see and listen to the United States Army Band "Pershing's Own". This was possibly the greatest musical event I have attended since coming to Bloomington in 1992.

The band was 70 strong plus included 16 Herald Trumpets and over 25 Army Chorus singers.
Their performance included everything from The Call of the Champions by John Williams, to the Gladiator by Sousa, to the Grand Russian Fantasia, featuring Staff Sgt. Troy McKay on trumpet (a graduate of ISU), to When Johnny Comes Marching Home, to a wonderful Suite for Jazz Saxophones including their fantastic 5 Sax soloists.

There were many other moving and terrific numbers ending with a Service Medley honoring all the former military and military families in the audience.

The SOLD OUT Audience gave the group several roaring standing ovations.

This wonderful ensemble is based at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia. The group plays a vital role in music education, often serving as the featured group at prominent music conferences and conventions throughout the nation and abroad. They also play around the Washington DC area to honor dignitaries, heads of state, diplomats and high ranking military officers.

After performing at Millikin the Alma Mata of its leader Col. Thomas Rotondi, Jr. it will rush back to Washington to perform for the Pope.

The talent level in this group of musicians and singers is astounding. As their announcer said any of them could stand before the band and solo.

Every member is enlisted as a Sergeant and does not go through the normal Army basic training. They are truly a master musician or singer working for the army much like a medical doctor who is recruited for their talent in medicine.

Salary for a beginning grade Sergeant is over $21,000 a year plus pension, food, housing, uniforms, medical and they can continue their education while in the military. It seems to me that for an outstanding musician or singer who wants to play rather then teach, the military bands are a wonderful opportunity.

I don't know of too many musicians who are earnings such salary and benefits trying to play as an independent musician, forgetting about the GI Bill.

A special thank you to former HJO board member Bruce Marquis and his staff for bringing to Bloomington such wonderful entertainment. Also a big thanks to the Pantagraph who sponsored the event and made the tickets available at no charge.
-- Bruce Gold VP Heartland Jazz Orchestra

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Fantastic concert!!--as always with the military bands. I am a band director and drove 2 hr 15 min to see them, along with a couple of my band students and families. More would have come except for school activity conflicts. I would encourage you to schedule them when you can in the future. Also, any chance of getting James Galway-flutist- on your program? I teach private flute and would love to hear him this close, or if not him, maybe another top artist or flute choir, etc.

I am an IWU graduate and applaud you for what you are doing with the Performing Arts Center.
-- Angela Lipcamon

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It is difficult to find the right words to convey how wonderful the performance by the US Army Band was...especially the 2nd half of the program. What talent there was...every musician, every singer, even the speaker and the director were excellent. I especially liked the trumpets! The music moved me to tears several times. And seeing the large American flag draped across the back of the stage was all that was needed to convey the message of the evening...what a blessing it is to live in the United States of America. I have attended several productions at the BCFA...everything from the Symphony, to taking my class of 1st graders to attend shows and plays. I have NEVER been disappointed. I sincerely appreciate all who are involved in choosing and presenting the programs. How lucky we are to have this venue in our community. Thank you so very much.
-- Phyllis Pederson
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Thank you for a wonderful evening of great music. We always sit in the balcony and find the view wonderful but the seats too cramped for 6'2. We tried downstairs and loved the extra leg room and I (4'11") didn't have anyone tall in front of me. Even if I had, the wonderful music would have made it still a great evening. We come often to BCPA and love the way it looks in all its glory. Again - wonderful program - just one of many.
--Carol G
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My friends and I who attended the concert loved it! It made us feel so proud to be an American! What tremendous talent with both the band and the singers. I know that several people around me were moved to tears by some of the numbers as was I. I have been telling everyone I saw today what a wonderful concert that was! The gentleman with me is not fond of concerts, and didn't know what to expect. He was SO impressed and enjoyed it very much! He thanked me over and over for getting the tickets. He said he would never have gone to something like that on his own, but he was so glad he could be there and experience it. He is a veteran and was very touched by the tribute to veterans. Please have our military bands back to the Center again! It was just great!
-- Joann Heidloff
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You couldn't have brought a better performance to B/N - thanks so much!!!!
-- Sue Miller
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Our group of eight thoroughly enjoyed last night's presentation by the U. S. Army Band. I remarked that I don't know where you could possibly find a finer free show anywhere! Selections were varied and interesting and all well received by the full house audience. I particularly enjoyed the men's chorus and their rousing renditions! Thanks to all who made this evening memorable and outstanding.
-- Robert Gatrell
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It was an outstanding concert last night – I had not heard the Army band before. A much better concert that I anticipated.

However…

Our seats were in row NN in the balcony, the first row behind the rail. I had the choice of seeing the choir and percussionists, or the front part of the band. Most theaters or stadiums would advertise these seats as limited viewing. I was glad that this was a musical event rather than a stage production that would have required a good view to appreciate the work. I learned my lesson the hard way.
--Bob Fisher

(NOTE: Thanks for your comments about the band ... and the seating. We know the space is limited in the upper balcony and our box office staff does their best to share the limitations of the space with any patron sitting up there. If that communication didn't happen, I'm sorry. In the case of this sold-out performance, we did the best we could to simply put bodies into any available seat and maximize the number of people who could attend. I hope the quality of the show made up for the cramped room in those last two rows.)

El Vez

Playing catch-up. Over a week has passed since the March 29 El Vez concert. But I have two very good excuses for being so behind. The biggest is my wife had a baby a few days before the concert, which means I'm a) happily distracted with other things and b) keeping a temporarily altered work schedule while things settle at home. My second excuse is we're also busy getting things ready to announce the BCPA's 08-09 season on April 24.

Stay tuned for that.

So, El Vez ... what did you think? I'd love to hear your comments about the show.

Dan Craft's preview article in the Pantagraph was a great snapshot at what patrons ultimately saw on stage. El Vez has a great sense of humor and is a compelling and confident performer, but he also has some strong political views, which I know didn't wash well with some members of our audience.

I had seen El Vez at a club in Tucson and was eager to see him again.

To me the show was a hoot. He seemed at odds with himself in a way that struck me as really silly: very confident in his performance and patter with the audience, but giving the impression he was a little out of control. A man who was not comfortable in his clothes (from a fly check in his leather pants to the fringe on the arms of his jumpsuit getting caught in his belt), but was master of his surroundings.

Were you there? What did you think? Send a note to me here and I'll post your comments.

Leg room at the BCPA

In a recent post to this blog a patron wrote: "I do have to recommend, though that anyone attending your fine theater who approaches a mere six feet in height, as I do, should avoid the balcony seats. I assume there is more legroom on the main floor."

Thanks for the note. Yes, there is more leg room on the main floor. And when that seating is available, our box office staff tries to encourage taller patrons to move downstairs. Some choose to. That said, others, like me (and I'm 6'2"), enjoy the height of balcony seats and the perspective I get of the stage from there.

Indeed, balcony seating has its ups and downs ...

Regrettably, regrading the balcony to create more leg room during our renovation would have required tearing the balcony out and essentially starting from scratch. Unlike the low-grade sweep to the front rows of the main floor, the balcony is structured in its stairs and levels, providing a real physical obstacle to retooling the theater to fit our increasing height. It's a problem historic theaters have on Broadway and nationwide.

Long story short, I hope everyone will come to know the limitations (a tighter fit) and advantages (a great view) of sitting in the balcony, then order early to get the seats you want most. We've tried to do a lot through our renovation of providing comfortable seating for our patrons (and the improvements have been great), but there are some realities with this almost 90 year old theater we just can't overcome as easily.

We'll also work to provide more information about this problem for you in the near future. Our box office manager recently walked through the theater with a tape measure and has lots of new facts about our space we'll share as soon as we can get them compiled ...

Patron comments
This sort of ties into a previous post about seating…my husband is 6’7” and when we last went to the symphony, we were in the balcony. We were on the main floor this time, and his FIRST comment was how much room there was…that paired with the underseat cooling made for a very enjoyable evening (not to mention Chopin).

As a teacher, I have taken classes and sat in the balcony…which is wonderful….not ONCE did I hear “I can’t see.”

Anyway- thank you for providing such a great place!
--Kelly Mathy

Hal Holbrook in "Mark Twain Tonight"

Hal Holbrook brought his Tony, Emmy, and Drama Desk Award-winning "Mark Twain Tonight" to the BCPA on Friday, wrapping the capacity crowd around his finger with the yarns he's been spinning from Mark Twain's own writings for over 54 years.

One of the things that is most amazing about this show, other than Holbrook's spot-on characterization of the writer, is how Twain's century-old stories still address the current social and political issues of our day. Holbrook is a master storyteller, a devoted student of Twain who revises his presentation of the show regularly to highlight certain areas of Twain's work to fit the mood and atmosphere of the day.

Holbrook is also a true gentleman, and was a joy for the many people who got to work with him and meet him during his stay in Bloomington. He arrived on Thursday and, I've heard, sat and chatted with the guests and staff of his hotel while he was sitting in the lobby. He also met a group of fans after the show for autographs and photos. He was exhausted but spent 25 minutes with the crowd making sure everyone had their chance to say hello.



He even signed our office microwave, which we'd lent him for his dressing room ...
Another interesting story leading up to his performance:
Holbrook came to Bloomington from a mid-week performance in Memphis. When he arrived in Illinois it was discovered that a crew member in Memphis accidentally removed the shipping labels from one of his costume boxes, and the box was mistakenly stored away backstage instead of being sent on to the next stop on his tour as expected. When the mistake was discovered, Holbrook's road manager arranged for the box to be expressed to us, but it didn't arrive in the morning shipment, as expected, keeping everyone a little on edge until it finally arrived later in the afternoon, just in time for the show.

Were you at the show? We'd love to hear more about your experience ...

Email me at jaalberts@artsblooming.org and I'll get it posted.

Patron Comments
Hal Holbrook/ Mark Twain brought out the passion in me. He made me laugh and yes he made me cry. He made me think have we advanced in our strife to better ourselves or shall we always be chained to the same emotions year after year century after century? In retrospect his dialog fit much of 2008 as it did in 1905... amazing! So now I dont know what to say... so I shall just smile.
- Paula Ward

We LOVED it! We were expecting a lot and were not disappointed. It was also great to see the house so full. Don't know who else you could get to come here that would be comparable to Hal Holbrook, but we'd sure go to anything else like this. Thanks!
- Jerry and Phylis Versteegh

We attended Friday night’s performance and found the program most enjoyable. We love the facility.
- Karen McKinney

Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain is amazing! His stage presence and delivery is superb. The content makes you think ...and laugh...and it's very relevant to today's world. The BPCA is a beautiful facility to be able to see the performers well from almost any seat and the acoustics are wonderful. It's definitely a treasure for our community.
-Deanna Frautschi

My wife and I found out about the show just last week and were lucky to find tickets still available. Looked like it was completely full. What a show! I expected the laughter, but the tears were coming quite often, also. Yes we are still a ridiculous people, and that's fortunate for the humorists of our day, but isn't that kind of sad, too.But the real tearjerking moment was the reading from Huck Finn. When Jim was telling of his dreams of getting work when they got to Cairo, and saving all his pay, so he could buy his wife; not buy his wife a dress, or a ring, but actually buy his wife out of slavery, I was floored. It seemed Mr. Holbrook was himself shaken at times while reading the part.

I do have to recommend, though that anyone attending your fine theater who approaches a mere six feet in height, as I do, should avoid the balcony seats. I assume there is more legroom on the main floor.
-James Bacigalupo

"I Love a Piano"

Touring the nation to terrific reviews, the Irving Berlin revue "I Love a Piano" rolled into the BCPA on Saturday night, March 1. The evening started off with a very interesting pre-show discussion led by Illinois Wesleyan Emeritus Professor Jared Brown, talking about Berlin's history, including his over 1500 compositions, his musical abilities (or lack thereof; he could neither read nor write music and could only play the piano in one key), and his lasting place in American musical history.

The pre-show set the mood off right for a high energy performance featuring over 64 of Berlin's songs. Six performers took the stage leading the audience through the history of the America Berlin saw in his 70 years of work as a composer. From the ragtime of the '20s through World War II, and his final hits from the movie "Easter Parade," the show was a snapshot of Berlin's musical genius.

For me, the most impressive thing about the show, created by Bloomington-Normal native Ray Roderick, was the energy of the six performers. The three men and three women wove in and out, and around the stage, trading solos, harmonizing with ease, and maintaining a high level of energy throughout.

And, heaven knows these performers need high energy. The show loaded out quickly after the curtain fell to get everyone on the road for an 8 am load-in 33 hours later ... in Panama City, FL.

The night ended with a reception for the BCPA's Arts Partners and to thank Jerry and Carole Ringer for their generous event sponsorship. One of the perks of being an Arts Partner, the reception was a great time to enjoy some refreshments and talk about the great performance.

Were you there? Did you "Love a Piano"? Click here and let us know ...

PATRON COMMENTS
My husband and I were so delighted that we had purchased tickets for this show – we loved every minute of it! That was one of the best entertainments we’ve seen, although we have seen many great shows throughout this season. Thank you Bloomington Cultural Center for the Performing Arts for bringing good, family entertainment to our cities.
--Karen Stivers

My wife Carole and I very much enjoyed the program. We look forward to"Mark Twain Tonight" and Arlo Guthrie. We look forward to yourofferings for the next season.
--Albert Semmler

Tim Reynolds and TR3

It's safe to say, it shredded!

Tim Reynolds -- Dave Matthews collaborator and guitar god! -- reunited with his trio TR3 for an amazing night of funk, rock, blues, and just about anything else you could imagine.

The enthusiastic crowd of just under 600 people heard Tim with Mick Vaughn on bass and Dan Martier on drums perform a number of original compositions and absolutely fantastic covers of acts including Neil Young, James Brown, and the Doobie Brothers.

Check out those videos below. More video clips from the concert can be found here.

"Ohio"



"Jesus Is Just Alright"



"Sex Machine"



A much different set list than what you've heard on his acoustic duo tours and CDs with Dave Matthews, it was great to hear what he can do plugged in with his old mates. Like with his acoustic, he can make the guitar do things you never dreamed were possible.

Were you there? What did you think? Write a review to me here (jaalberts@artsblooming.org) and I'll post it to the site.

PATRON COMMENTS
I mixed this fun one at the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts. Tim and his band were a treat to work for and a super talented three piece band to mix. THANKS!) I wish I had my camera to savor the moment, but I didn't know about Tim's "open taping policy" until after mixing the FOH show seen above (THANK YOU jaalberts for the box seat view). I asked Tim after the show why he didn't want me to mic James Brown and he said, "He never worked before tonight, we weren't quite sure what to do. When he was given to us someone said he was broken. What did you do to him?" Someone on the crew said that they changed the batteries and we all had a good laugh.
-Todd "Igor" Ward

Tim and trio rocked. I would love to see more shows like this at BCPA. He gave me chills with some of the guitar solos, and it was refreshing to see such a show locally! Usually I have to hit CHI or STL to catch a similar show. Keep it up! Just wish the crowd was a little looser.
-Alison Brandow

I enjoyed the Tim Reynolds concert. After seeing him play along side Dave Matthews for years it was nice to see his solo act. I would like to see more artists like Tim come through Bloomington. I found out about the show when I drove by the performing arts center and caught Reynolds name out of the corner of my eye. With two universities in town the show could have been advertised more around the campuses.
-Zack Wolfe

(Marketing note: Lots of advertising was done at both IWU and ISU. If anyone reading this knows of a venue where we aren't advertising, but should, email me at jaalberts@artsblooming.org. We're planning to do more programming of this sort next year and we definitely want to get the word out.)

Patron comments about the Indigo Girls

I just wanted to let someone know how great the Indigo Girls concert was! Don't know if they'll be touring again soon, but it'd be great to see them back here. I had never been in the Arts Center for a concert before, and it was a perfect setting. Thank you for bringing them to Bloomington!

Laura Adam

So much going on!

One of the best things about the past ten days is seeing the variety of people who have come to the BCPA. Each show has its appeal.

Gaelic Storm's terrific February 8 concert was exciting. We've presented Celtic music before, but the Gaelic Storm audience was completely different. The youth and energy of the audience matched that of the band on the stage. It was a high energy night. The band had people up and dancing, singing call-and-response -- like the best night you've ever had in an Irish pub.

The next day, over 600 people attended the performance of The Velveteen Rabbit by Enchantment Theatre Company. Included in this group were several troops of Girl Scouts, for whom we arranged special pre- and post-performance activities, including backstage tours and a special historic look at the BCPA.

This was just the start of the busiest week ever at the BCPA. The Illinois Symphony Orchestra played schooltime matinees on Wednesday, celebrating our 16th president as a part of the Abraham Lincoln Association's "An American Dream" concert. Then they were back on Friday for their Winter Pops Concert.

Thursday was the long-anticipated Indigo Girls concert. Rescheduled from February 1, the crowd was electric, like those two weeks had just added to the anticipation. Opening act Michelle Malone set the stage with a great 45 minute set. Then the Indigo Girls took the stage and played many long-time favorites, including "Galileo," "Least Complicated," "Closer to Fine," and "Dairy Queen," to the delight of the audience members who had shouted out the title only moments before.

Saturday night was a revival of the traditional kind with an amazing concert by the Harlem Gospel Choir. The night got started off on the right foot with a mini concert presented by a children's choir from Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. The audience (as well as a few members of the Harlem Gospel Choir) stood enraptured as the young, clear voices sang.

I don't think there was a jaw that didn't hit the floor when the Harlem Choir took the stage. Singing a terrific mix of traditional and contemporary spirituals, as well as arrangements of songs by Stevie Wonder and Kool and the Gang, the Choir had the audience up on their feet, clapping along, and feeling the spirit right along with them.

If they'd kept singing, I bet the audience would have stayed ... and perhaps even bought the choir a pancake breakfast at the Kiwanis fundraiser in the ballrooom the next morning.

Tell us your memories of the week. What did you see? What do you wish you'd seen?

It was a great week at the BCPA!

Why Blog?

Some of the happiest moments in my life have been in the afterglow of a concert, sharing what I liked and LOVED, found confusing or just plain infuriating about the performance.

Since we opened our doors in September of 2006, the patrons of the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts have been wonderful about writing us and sharing their show memories. They've contacted us with their thoughts about the renovated Center, their hopes for what they would like to see the Cultural District become, and their desire to be a part of it all.

Hopefully this Blog will help bring you closer to the process. This is a great place to tell us what you thought about a performance, share information about one of our upcoming events, tell stories about your experiences at the BCPA, and learn more about what goes on behind the scenes from members of our staff.

Please check back often. There will always be more to see ...