It was a great pleasure performing earlier this month with the Brockport Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Music Director Jonathan Allentoff. Because of the threat of rain, the concert was moved indoors to the First Presbyterian Church in Brockport. It so was gratifying to see such a large and enthusiastic audience – while everyone stayed dry (it started to rain just as the concert began), the humidity unfortunately kept things a bit sticky. I had the pleasure of performing two songs with this wonderful group, and then to be joined by the wonderful Mary Wojciechowski for a pair of duets at the close of the concert.
In the videos linked below, Almost Like Being in Love comes from the 1947 musical Brigadoon, with words and music by Learner and Loewe. It’s a song filled with joy and delight – and one that holds great memories for me, as I first sang this in the review Melodies of Broadway several (!) years ago at the Lancaster Opera House. Despite the title, there’s no question that Tommy (who sings the song in the show, and was played by Gene Kelly in the 1954 movie) is really head-over-heels.
They Say It’s Wonderful then provides a great contrast to this first piece. This time, the singer really is “almost” in love, as he sings about about how wonderful love is – or at least “that’s what they say.”
I hope you enjoy these videos, and many thanks again to the Brockport Symphony for inviting me to join them in this concert.