Posted on February 5, 2013 at 4:00 am
Two glorious nights with the wonderfully gifted singers of the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, CA. Thirty-five committed, fiercely talented performers, a great band, in the beautiful Margaret A Webb Theatre. Thanks to the kids for working so hard to bring my music to life, and thanks to Karen Rymar and Jeff Paul and everyone at OCSA for honoring me with this amazing weekend. I can’t even begin to express how joyful and glorious it was to sing with Anika Noni Rose; I wish we could perform together all of the time. As for the program, I tried to pick things that would work well on the kids and still be representative of as much of my oeuvre as possible, but after the events of this past December, Karen and I decided we had to add one more song. I don’t know if I can bear performing “Twenty-Six Names” very often, but it felt very important and very special to hear these students sing it.
It All Fades Away from The Bridges of Madison County (JRB)
And I Will Follow (Madi Wackerman & Jackie Hishmeh)
I Love Betsy from Honeymoon In Vegas (JRB)
What It Means To Be A Friend from 13 (Chloe Horner)
Get Me What I Need from 13 (Archie: Mitchell Lemke; Evan: Max D’Ambra; Brett: Chase Del Rey; Kendra: McKenna Ryan; & Ensemble)
Mr. Hopalong Heartbreak from Urban Cowboy (Anna Belmer, Shannon Stahl, Pauline Guiuan)
King of the World from Songs for a New World (JRB)
The Old Red Hills of Home from Parade (Ian Hewitt & Ensemble)
Twenty-Six Names (Chase Del Rey, Ryan Garn & Ensemble)
Nothing In Common from Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes(JRB)
Christmas Lullaby from Songs for a New World (Sophia Perez)
When You Say Vegas from Honeymoon In Vegas (JRB)
Being A Geek from 13 (JRB & Male Ensemble)
All Things In Time (Anika Noni Rose)
I Can Do Better Than That from The Last Five Years (Anika Noni Rose)
Caravan of Angels (JRB)
Hear My Song from Songs for a New World (Caroline Bethel, Madison Coyle, Alexa Zachary & JRB)
Brand New You from 13 (Zofia Weretka, Skylar Anderson, Kelly Vernon & Ensemble; Beatboxer: Ben Paltin; Dancers: Lorenzo Rangel-Santos & Max D’Ambra)
Ensemble:
Yasmeen Amid, Skylar Anderson, Bailey Beaudoin-Scanlon, Anna Belmer, Sivan Benjamin, Caroline Bethel, Madison Coyle, Kate Fahey, Miranda Galindo, Pauline Guiuan, Jackie Hishmeh, Chloe Horner, Rosie McDonald, Emily Moody, Miranda Mower, Sophia Perez, Raven Robledo, Jenna Lee Rosen, McKenna Ryan, Shannon Stahl, Kelly Vernon, Madi Wackerman, Zofia Weretka, Alexa Zachary
Lucas Blankenhorn, Max D’Ambra, Chase Del Rey, Ryan Garn, Ian Hewitt, Gavin Kane, Mitchell Lemke, Ben Paltin, Lorenzo Rangel-Santos, Brendan Williamson, Blaise Wopperer
Orchestra:
JRB: piano and vocals
Kevin Dukes: acoustic and electric guitars
Trey Henry: acoustic and electric basses
Mark Converse: drums and percussion
Directed by Jason Robert Brown & Karen Rymar
Associate Music Director Jarod Sheahan
Produced by Karen Rymar
Choreographed by Tyler Logan
Assistants to the Directors Annika Borg-Sundstrom & Connor Berkompas
Staff technical support: Shawn Fidler (lighting), Ray Gibson & Scott Collins (sound), Carson Sumner (stage mgr)
17 comments
JRB,
Thank you SO much for coming out to do this show with us. I know that we all learned a lot from both you and Anika and it’s definitely something that won’t be forgotten. Hopefully we get to work together again in the future!
-Kelly Vernon
It was an incredible experience being able to perform with you, and such an amazing opportunity to have you teach us your own music.
It was a huge honor to sing “Twenty-Six Names”, for at that moment, it wasn’t about us anymore. The fact that I was performing with you, or that Anika Noni Rose was backstage became insignificant, because the second you started playing the song, it was about the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, and I will never forget the magical moment when everyone in the audience stood up.
A million thanks for allowing me to be a part of this!
-Miranda Galindo
JRB,
Thank you so much for taking the time to come and perform with us. It was a true honor to share the stage with you. I learned so much from this experience and I loved singing your music.
Chase Del Rey
WOW!! After listening to hours and hours and hours of your songs and music on CD, it was a thrill to see you ‘live’ on stage. What a great opportunity you provided our students and what an amazing show you put on for your audience. Thank you for sharing your many talents. We thoroughly enjoyed every moment!
Teri Belmer
Thank you for letting me be a part of this amazing show. I enjoyed singing your music and I loved how the harmonies came together to make a beautiful wall of sound. I hope I’ll get a chance to sing your brilliant music again. Thanks again
Ben Paltin
Wow thank you so much. It means a lot to all of us. It was a pleasure working with you. Thank you for all your time and hard work(:
Thank you so much for taking the time to spend with our OCSA kids. This was such an amazing opportunity for them all. I was at the show both nights and thoroughly enjoyed your music and performance. Anika Noni Rose was a wonderful surprise as well. My family is looking forward to “Honeymoon in Vegas” and exploring your other work as well. Thank you for two wonderful evenings and sharing your talent and expertise with our kids. Finally, thank you for “Twenty-Six Names”, it was simply beautiful.
Thank you so much for including my son, Mitchell Lemke, in this amazing show. It was such an incredible experience for him and of course, a true joy for me to watch him become Archie on the stage and perform your work. The entire show was fantastic. I also enjoyed your humor!
Thank you Jason!! It was such an honor getting to work with you and it is an experience I will never forget. Thank you so much for all you taught us and for inspiring us to be the best we can be. You’re the best!!!
-Anna Belmer
Thanks JRB! I’m so grateful that I was able to perform with you. I appreciated your dedication for your music, as it was an inspiration to us all. Thank you again for this incredible experience!
Phenomenal show!! You have unbelievable talent. Thank you for blessing my child with your knowledge and your presence.
Jason we are all SO grateful for your generosity, outlook and experience you brought to the show. It is such an honor to be able to work with someone of your caliber and expertise. Performing with the Pros has brought me the joy of being able to learn from and perform with you… and that I am very thankful for. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity! I hope we will have the joy of working together in the future!
-Best Regards,
Miranda Mower
Jason, thank you so much for taking time out of your crazy schedule to come work with us. We benefited immensely from your work and your professionalism, and it prepared us for the real world of musical theatre. Thank you so much for sharing your music with us, and sharing your time with us. This was such a great opportunity that I’ll never forget!
Emily Moody
Thank you so much for this wonderful experience that you have provided to our kids. It is such an honor that I know Sophie will remember all of her life. I will too. These kids are truly amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity and for all of the fabulous memories that I will cherish forever. It was so magical getting to work with you as well as singing your music. I had a blast and learned so much, and I will forever appreciate everything you gave to us and come out of this experience more professional, a better singer, as well as many memories and lifelong friends..
Jason, Madi was enriched by the opportunity of working with you. She respects you greatly as an artist and musician, and especially enjoyed the wit and humor you managed to bring along the way. Thanks for inspiring our students to work hard in their musical and theatrical pursuits and for giving them an opportunity to engage in a top-level professional experience. They will carry these lessons and memories with them always!
Jason, Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity. It is one i don’t think any of us will forget. We all learned so much from you through the process of this show. It was so great having you teach us your music. It brought a whole new level to learning all the nuances of the music. Again, Thank you so much!
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