JERI SAGER

*Thursday, September 23, 2010

Jeri Sager has spent her lifetime performing……from her parent’s living room as a young child to Broadway and all over the world. She shares this experience through songs, stories, and of course laughter. Singing the Broadway songs she loves and has performed for thousands of people, Jeri will leave you with a smile on your face and a song in your heart!
Jeri Sager is a veteran of Broadway and numerous national tours. She starred as Grizabella in CATS, and appeared as Fantine in Les Miserables. Her Broadway debut was as Frumah-Sara in the 25^th Anniversary production of Fiddler on the Roof, starring Topol. Her other Broadway credits include Evita, Pippin, City of Angels, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Pump Boys and Dinettes.
Jeri has sung in Japan, Europe, the Caribbean, the West Indies, Mexico, Canada, and every town in the United States ever represented on Jeopardy! She has sung the National Anthem on July 4^th for the Baltimore Orioles, performed with Bob Hope for the USO, and made her debut at the Grand ole opry. Jeri’s stunning beauty and glorious voice will awaken the Sheboygan audience to pure Broadway quality.

THE FOUR FRESHMEN

*Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Founded at Butler University in 1948, and now in their 61^st year of performance, The Four Freshmen perform with the same unmistakable sound of the original group --- a vocal harmony like no other! Four-part harmony, a twist of elegance, a splash of swing, and a whole lot of fun! The names and faces have changed a few times along the way, but the legendary sound continues…….

The Four Freshmen have strongly influenced many groups over the years of their existence, including Take Six, ABBA, The Swingle Singers, Manhattan Transfer, and the Beach Boys. They were originally modeled aftr Big Band vocal groups like the Modernaires (Glenn Miller) and The Pied Pipers (Tommy Dorsey). Founded as Hal’s Harmonizers, a barbershop quartet, they soon adopted a more jazz-oriented repertoire, renamed themselves the Toppers, and developed their own style of improvised vocal harmony. In September of 1948, the group first went on the road as The Four Freshmen and soon drew the admiration of jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman who helped them connect with Capitol Records.

The Four Freshmen are the longest lasting vocal harmony group, and in their 60-plus year history, they have bragging rights to over 50 albums, an overwhelming 70 top-selling singles, and 6 Grammy nominations.

ILYA YAKUSHEV

*Monday, March 7, 2011

Ilya Yakushev, a fresh and exciting new presence in the piano world, has many honors and awards to his credit, and has performed at major venues on three continents. Ilya is a native of St. Petersburg where he won his first award as a prizewinner of the Young Artists Concerto Competition at the age of 12.    Perhaps his most prestigious award, however, is his winning of the Gold Medal Award at the 2005 World Piano Competition. As a part of this award, he toured Florida and Ohio in 2006 and presented a solo recital in Alice Tully Hall in 2007.

Mr. Yakushev’s musical training was at Mannes College of Music in New York.

Last season, Ilya received enthusiastic critical acclaim and international attention through his European tour, with solo recitals in Berlin, Vienna, and Dusseldorf. He also toured Southeast Asia, performing in Singapore and Malaysia. He is making a return visit to the Midwest after a highly successful tour during the 2008-09 season.  On this tour he is offering an interesting video

presentation of the paintings which inspired Mussorgsky to compose his Pictures At An Exhibition. The pictures will appear on a screen onstage as Ilya plays the music.

           “Mr. Yakushev can do just about anything he wants” – The New York Times

BURNING RIVER BRASS

*Thursday, May 5, 2011

Burning River Brass has been dazzling audiences since 1996 with “power and virtuosity”, “harmonious blend”, and “consistently stirring performances.” Composed of twelve of the finest brass and percussion players in the country, Burning River Brass is an ensemble on fire!

In concerts from Alaska to Taiwan, Burning River Brass has been applauded for its style and precision, as well as for the infectious joy with which it performs. The group has released four CDs which have been praised for their energy, sound and style. The ensemble has been heard on NPR’s Performance Today and Sunday Baroque, as well as radio stations throughout the country and abroad.

The original inspiration behind Burning River Brass was to give great players, who were also good friends, a chance to play together on a consistent basis.  In concert, Burning River Brass strives to present a variety of music that the audiences find entertaining and which the ensemble enjoys playing. The group’s repertoire includes fresh arrangements of classic literature as well as original works written specifically for them.

“Burning River Brass is sophisticated and talented. But music should be enjoyable as well as serious. These 12 musicians had so much fun that the evening was a delight from start to finish”.~Anchorage Daily News~