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Ninth Annual Music by the Lake Series Announced
4/3/2009
WILLIAMS BAY, Wis., April 3, 2009 - George Williams College of Aurora University announces its ninth annual Music by the Lake summer series.
The summer season of eight performances includes the Main Stage Series, with four Saturday evening performances and one Sunday afternoon performance; and the Special Concert Series, featuring classical, jazz and popular-music performances.
Performances are held in The Ferro Pavilion at George Williams College of Aurora University, located on the shores of Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, Wis.
This year's Main Stage Series:
The Ramsey Lewis Trio will perform on Saturday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night celebrates the return of Chicago's favorite son, the incomparable Ramsey Lewis, to The Ferro Pavilion. A musician's musician, Lewis and his Trio define the very essence of Chicago jazz. With three Grammy Awards, seven gold records, a fan base now spanning the globe, and honors too numerous to mention on this list of credits, he is truly a national treasure.
The Italian masterpiece, "Madama Butterfly," will be presented on Saturday, July 18, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 19 at 4 p.m. Following on the heels of our effervescent "Die Fledermaus" in 2008, Puccini's "Butterfly" will break your heart, and thrill you with a moving story of love and loss. A remarkable young cast will make the saga of an American navy lieutenant and a young Japanese geisha in a star-crossed romance, come alive as never before. The lakeside location, as on the shores of Lake Nagasaki, will transport you to another time and place where the weeping cherry blooms. Performances are supported by Young Artist Underwriter, Harold Hartshorne, Jr. Enjoy a special dinner featuring an Asian menu prepared by a guest chef prior to the performances.
Michael Bolton will perform on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7:30 p.m. Bolton, one of America's greatest singers and songwriters, will perform "Swings Sinatra" on the shores of Geneva Lake. With more than 53 million albums sold worldwide, two Grammys for Best Male Pop Vocalist, six American Music Awards, and a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame to his credit, you are in for a treat! He has won numerous awards for his compositions as well as his singing. Legendary artists including Barbara Streisand, Patti LaBelle, KISS, Kenny G, Joe Cocker, Wynonna Judd, Kenny Rogers and Bob Dylan have all performed songs by Michael Bolton. This performance is generously underwritten by Don and Marilyn Hedberg and The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation.
"Sweet Baby James," a James Taylor tribute, will be presented on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m. The "Sweet Baby James" tribute concert closing the Main Stage Series is a retrospective of the great songs of the incomparable James Taylor, sung by New York artist, Bob Stillman. The Tony nominated actor, composer, pianist and singer will pair with Connie James in a program including many of Taylor's greatest hits. The likeness to Taylor in looks and voice in songs such as "Sweet Baby James," "Fire and Rain," "Handy Man," "Mexico," "You've Got a Friend," and others, will take you back to the times, places and memories of the 60s and 70s. The "easy on the ears" nostalgic songs in this tribute will close out the summer with style.
This year's special concerts:
Thomas Hampson (Classical Spotlight Concert) will perform on Sunday, July 12, at 4 p.m. America's leading baritone, Hampson is the first Classical Spotlight Concert artist. The soloist of choice for today's foremost conductors and the pre-eminent recitalist of his generation, Hampson is known the world over for his marvelous programs of American music. His presentation of the highly acclaimed "Song of America" promises to be an unforgettable afternoon, presenting distinctive American repertoire sung by one of the world's finest classical artists.
Johan Stengård (Jazz Café) will be presented on Sunday, July 26 at 4 p.m. New this year is the inauguration of Music by the Lake's Jazz Café featuring the premier saxophone player of Sweden, Johan Stengård in a program of pop favorites, jazz standards and original compositions, using both the tenor and soprano saxophone. The "first choice" performer of the King and Queen of Sweden, and collaborative artist with such great performers as Michael Bolton, ABBA, Celine Dion, Peter Cetera, and Sammy Davis, Jr., Stengård will amaze you with his soulful interpretations and distinctive style. His walk down the yellow brick road in a rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," will leave you breathless! Enjoy this great jazz program in the first of the new Music by the Lake new cabaret concerts.
Natalie Cole (Pritzker Spotlight Concert) will perform on Saturday, Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m. When Natalie Cole's seminal "Unforgettable...with Love" came out in 1991, the jazz collection wrote its own chapter in the great American songbook. The CD, which captured six Grammys, including Album and Record of the Year, spent five weeks at number 1 and sold more than eight million copies in the U.S. alone. Now, fresh from her 2009 Grammy, the stunning Cole will bring her special brand of classy vocals and elegant presence to Music by the Lake. The daughter of the great Nat King Cole, Natalie will delve deeply into the song literature of other great American singers like Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Peggy Lee, as well as that of her famous father. This performance is generously underwritten by The J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation.
Season tickets go on sale April 15. Single tickets, Spotlight Concerts, and Jazz Café ticket sales begin May 1.Season ticket packages range in price from $110 to $300 and single ticket prices range from $12 to $75. Tickets for special concerts range from $15 to $125. Seating is available in the Dress Circle, Orchestra, Rear Orchestra and Terrace for each performance (Terrace seating not available for Hampson and Stengård concerts). Lawn seating is available for all evening performances.
For tickets, call 866-843-5200 toll free or 262-245-8501 or e-mail mbtl@aurora.edu. Secure online ordering will be available after April 15. Visit the Web site at www.musicbythelake.com for more information.
The 2009 Music by the Lake concert series is generously supported by Platinum sponsors AT&T, Fairwyn, Larson Sheet Metal, and Gage Marine Lake Geneva Cruise Line; Gold sponsors Grand Geneva, Keefe (Honorary Presenting Sponsor), and Scherrer Construction; Silver sponsors Aurora Health Care, Balestrieri Development and Environmental, Inc., First Banking Center, M&I Bank, Johnson Bank, Sodexo Campus Services, and Walworth State Bank.
Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. Approximately 4,000 degree-seeking students are enrolled each year on the university's Illinois and Wisconsin campuses, and the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association to award degrees at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels. The George Williams College campus offers 15 academic programs, unique conference facilities, and is home to Music by the Lake and other education and enrichment programs.
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