The Salon Wrap-Up for February 17, 2019: "With A Little Help From My Friends"

Greetings, all!  What a night we had tonight!  Our co-hosts were the Multi Award-Winning Sean Harkness, Lina Koutrakos, and Marcus Simeone!  They started off serenading us with the perfectly appropriate Salon title song, "With A Little Help From My Friends."  To open the second set, Sean effortlessly and flawlessly brought us "Nod To John," the three of them then performed the rockin' "Diggin' My Grave," and finally they gave us the silky smooth "Baby You're Mine."  The trio ended the night serenading us with "I Can See Clearly Now."

Sean, Lina, and Marcus will be performing "Clearly Now" at Don't Tell Mama on February 23rd at 7pm.  Click on their names for more information about their schedules and all of their CDs for sale.

Quick Wrap - Classical Corner

We had special guest David Sabella with us for Classical Corner tonight!  David has a long list of credits, including originating Mary Sunshine in the 1996 revival of "Chicago."  His prowess carries over to jazz, pop, cabaret, and classical, which he did tonight.  He performed three countertenor pieces.   Countertenor is the modern term for those of the castrati roles.  What is castrati you ask?  Well, I'm happily horrified to tell you -- a castrato is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto.  But!  The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to an endocrinological condition, never reaches maturity.  Yeah.  But not to worry, David performed perfectly intact. ;)  He first sang one of Handel's pieces from Julius Caesar, then a piece from Midsummer Night's Dream, and finally a song from Jerome Kern's "Cousin Lucy."

Roster of performers for the evening (in order of appearance):
Click link to visit the performer’s website or other links, when available.
All piano accompaniment by Mark Janas unless otherwise noted. 

Co-Hosts: Sean Harkness, Lina Koutrakos, and Marcus Simeone
Deborah Zecher
Mark Cummings
Courtney Marie

Ryan Keating
Sue Matsuki
Joann Sicoli
Sierra Rein
Ira Lee Collings
Josephine Sanges (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Andrea Axelrod (with Matthew Martin Ward on the keys)

Adam Shapiro (with Matthew Martin Ward on the 88s)

Frances O'Flynn (with Matthew Martin Ward tickling the ivories)

Matthew Martin Ward with Frances O'Flynn (with himself at the baby grand)Janice Hall (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)

Candice Oden
Classical Corner: David Sabella
BREAK
Co-Hosts: Sean Harkness, Lina Koutrakos, and Marcus Simeone
Tanya Moberly
David Ballard

Steve "The Whistler" Herbst

Michael Colby

Richie Eisenberg

Bobbie Horowitz

Laurel Kallen

Rachel Hanser

Heather Villaescusa

Steve Bustamante

Angela Leone

Phillip Kuan

Co-Hosts: Sean Harkness, Lina Koutrakos, and Marcus Simeone

Special thanks to musicians Mark Janas, Matthew Martin Ward, and Sean Harkness. More thanks to David Ballard on lights and sound, and the astounding waitstaff and management - Joshua, Bryan and Leo - at Don't Tell Mama. Finally, thanks to Steve Bustamante as videographer for the evening!

Ongoing Shows:

Wednesdays-Sundays: Adam Shapiro is performing in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish at Stage 42, 422 W 42nd St, NYC.

Upcoming Shows:

Saturday, February 16th, 2019 (8pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Jennifer Bangs - She Bangs, She Bangs: Marriage, Adultery, Texas and Jesus" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Tuesday, February 19th, 2019 (7pm): Deborah Zecher reprises her debut show, "On Purpose," at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Wednesday, February 20th, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Amy Beth Williams: Great Ladies, Great Songs" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Wednesday, February 21st, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Lisa Viggiano Sings Bruce" at Pangea, 178 2nd Ave, NYC.

Friday, February 22nd, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly is featured in "Ricky Ritzel's Broadway" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Monday, February 25th, 2019: Steve Herbst will be performing in the Lerner & Lowe Concert at The York Theatre, 619 Lexington Ave, NYC.

Thursday, February 28th, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Kendra Cunningham - This Could Be You" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Thursday, February 28th, 2019: Josephine Sanges will be performing her show "Come Rain or Come Shine" at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.

Friday, March 1st, 2019 (7pm): Sierra Rein - as part of Marquee Five - performs "Back Porch Swing" with Joe Goodrich on piano and Matt Scharfglass on bass at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.

Friday, March 1st, 2019 (8pm): Steve Bustamante will be a part of Kenneth Gartman's "Sing Your Heart Out" Cabaret Workshop Performance at the Magnolia Room, 57 Main Street, Upstairs, Norwalk, CT.

Friday, March 1st, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Jennifer Bangs - She Bangs, She Bangs: Marriage, Adultery, Texas and Jesus" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 (6pm): Heather Villaescusa is performing her show "The Happiness Project (A 10 Week Guide)" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 (3pm): Steve Bustamante will be a part of Kenneth Gartman's "Sing Your Heart Out" Cabaret Workshop Performance at the Magnolia Room, 57 Main Street, Upstairs, Norwalk, CT.

Tuesday, March 5th, 2019 (6:30pm): Janice Hall will be performing in Decadence Weimar Cabaret at The Friars Club, 57 E 55th St, NYC.

Wednesday, March 6th, 2019 (7pm): Sierra Rein brings her solo debut show "Running in Place" to a new home at Don't Tell Mama with Bill Zeffiro as Music Director, Matt Scharfglass on bass and Rex Benincasa on drums. James Beaman, Director. Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Thursday, March 28th-Sunday, April 14th, 2019: Candice Oden is performing in "Measure For Measure" at The Seeing Place Theater, 64 E 4th St, NYC.

Monday, April 1st, 2019 (8pm): Tanya Moberly directs "A Life Behind Bars" at City Winery, 155 Varrick St, NYC.

Saturday, May 4th, 2019 (3pm): Rachel Hanser performs in "Those Girls Sing The Boys Vol. 1" at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.

Wednesday, May 8th, 2019 (7pm): Rachel Hanser performs in "Those Girls Sing The Boys Vol. 1" at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.

Friday, May 31, 2019 (7pm): Sierra Rein - as part of Marquee Five - performs "8-Track Throwback" with Dan Pardo on piano, Matt Scharfglass on bass, and Rich Huntley on drums, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.

NEXT SALON:

There is no Salon next week (February 24th, 2019), so join us again on March 3rd, 2019!
Our Theme for the evening will be "Water" with Co-Host: Rick Jensen!

-Candice Oden
Blogette for The Salon
Email me with quirks and queries

The Salon Wrap-Up for February 10, 2019: "Hellos & Goodbyes"

And warm hello to everyone!  What a great night at Salon.  Our fabulous co-host was the marvelous Jennifer Bangs!  Jennifer has performed all over the world.  Regionally, she has played Eliza in "My Fair Lady," Luisa in "The Fantastiks," and Maureen in "RENT."  She opened the evening sharing from her show and singing sweetly "A Wink and A Smile."  She started the second set intimately sharing more from her show, leading into "Empire State of Mind," "Unthinkable," "I Loved You Once In Silence," and "Fist City."  She closed the evening perfectly with "I Loved You Too Much."

Ms. Bangs will be returning to Don't Tell Mama on Saturday, February 16th at 8pm and Friday, March 1st at 7pm with her NYC debut show, "She Bangs, She Bangs: Marriage, Adultery, Texas, & Jesus."  Best of luck, Jennifer!  You're going to be fabulous!

Salon Spotlight

Tonight's Salon Spotlight was the incredibly talented and stunning International Award-Winning Performer Yael Rasooly.  Yael shared the stage with Ilya Magalnyk, and they performed a fabulous arrangement of "La Vie en Rose," a beautiful and dramatic "La foule," and a darling and very skillfully executed "Busy Line."

Yael is currently touring the U.S. in several of her shows, including "Glamour In The Dark" with accordionist Ilya Maganyk.  Her next performance will be "Love Must Have An End" with Daniel Rein at Neue Gallery.

Quick Wrap - Classical Corner

Mark's brilliance today started with what is now called the Surprise Symphony by Franz Joseph Hiden from the 18th century.  The piece starts pianissimo, and turns into fortissimo chord (with a tympany note) that was quite a shock to the listener.  When asked why he did this, Hiden said he wanted to compose something new and innovative -- and because he noticed people falling asleep during his music.  Ha!  The piece was very well received in London, where he spent parts of his life.  Many parodies were performed at the Hoffnung Festival, where they would lampoon classical music.

Hiden, who composed a whopping 104 symphonies was Beethoven's teacher and Mozart's colleague. He was referred to as Papa Hiden for many reasons, but mainly as he was known as the father of the string quartet.

Mark later shared from the Farewell Symphony, which is in F sharp minor, and happens to be the only symphony in the 18th century to be performed in F sharp minor.  Mark told us that Hiden wanted to communicate something that was going on politically at the time.  Hiden and his orchestra were at this massive estate in the country with the prince -- the prince who was having constant social engagements during the summer and kept staying longer and longer.  Well, all of the orchestra members hadn't seen their wives and families for weeks.  They were about to strike, when they approached Hiden and asked, "Is there anything can you do?"  So he wrote the Farewell Symphony to get the message across.  It started as as a symphony does, and then part of the way through it, three of the players got up and extinguished the candles lighting their music, and put their instruments in their cases and walked out.  Then, a little farther in movement, the bassoon player does the same thing, then a couple of violins -- and this piece is still performed this way.  Nowadays, there is inevitably more shtick involved -- someone will open a bottle of champagne and things like that.  So by the end of the symphony, there were only two violins left, and Hiden and the concert master were the only ones left on stage.  Well, the prince got the idea and, without drama, left the very next day.

Roster of performers for the evening (in order of appearance):
Click link to visit the performer’s website or other links, when available.
All piano accompaniment by Mark Janas unless otherwise noted. 

Co-Host: Jennifer Bangs
Maria Corsaro
Jaye Maynard
Michele Herman
Jonathan Kuhn
Celina Argun (self at the piano)
Sue Matsuki
Patty Ruffner
John Trujillo
Frances O'Flynn
Barbara Malley
Richie Eisenberg
Candice Oden
Zach Wobensmith
Salon Spotlight: Yael Rasooly
Classical Corner
BREAK
Co-Host: Jennifer Bangs
Tanya Moberly
David Ballard
Steve Bustamante (self on guitar)
Liora Michelle
Patty Ruffner
John Trujillo
Barbara Malley
Richie Eisenberg
Michelle Herman
Jonathan Kuhn
Zach Wobensmith
Co-Host: Jennifer Bangs

Special thanks to musicians Mark Janas and Steve Bustamante. More thanks to David Ballard on lights and sound, and the astounding waitstaff and management - Joshua, Bryan and Leo - at Don't Tell Mama. Finally, thanks to Steve Bustamante as videographer for the evening!

Upcoming Shows:

Friday, February 15th, 2019 (8pm): Maria Corsaro performs her show "Love ... It's Complicated" at the Magnolia Room, 57 Main Street, Upstairs, Norwalk, CT.

Saturday, February 16th, 2019 (5pm): Maria Corsaro performs her show "Love ... It's Complicated" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Saturday, February 16th, 2019 (8pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Jennifer Bangs - She Bangs, She Bangs: Marriage, Adultery, Texas and Jesus" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Wednesday, February 20th, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Amy Beth Williams: Great Ladies, Great Songs" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Wednesday, February 21st, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Lisa Viggiano Sings Bruce" at Pangea, 178 2nd Ave, NYC.

Wednesday, February 28th, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Kendra Cunningham - This Could Be You" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Friday, March 1st, 2019 (8pm): Steve Bustamante will be a part of Kenneth Gartman's "Sing Your Heart Out" Cabaret Workshop Performance at the Magnolia Room, 57 Main Street, Upstairs, Norwalk, CT.

Friday, March 1st, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs "Jennifer Bangs - She Bangs, She Bangs: Marriage, Adultery, Texas and Jesus" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 (3pm): Steve Bustamante will be a part of Kenneth Gartman's "Sing Your Heart Out" Cabaret Workshop Performance at the Magnolia Room, 57 Main Street, Upstairs, Norwalk, CT.

Monday, March 4th, 2019 (7pm): Zach Wobensmith will be performing in the reading of "Going South" by Katya Stanaslavskaya at The Gallery Players, 199 14th St, Brooklyn, NY.

Friday, March 8, 2019 (7pm): Liora Michelle is reprising her show, "The Greedy Soprano," at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Thursday, March 28th-Sunday, April 14th, 2019: Candice Oden is performing in "Measure For Measure" at The Seeing Place Theater, 64 E 4th St, NYC.

Friday, April 26th, 2019 (7pm): Barbara Malley reprises her show "OMG!  Am I A Diva?" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Saturday, April 27th, 2019 (4:30pm): Barbara Malley reprises her show "OMG!  Am I A Diva?" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 W 46th St, NYC.

Thursday, May 16th, 2019: Jaye Maynard performs with The Art Mob.

Friday, May 17th, 2019: Jaye Maynard performs with The Art Mob.

Saturday, May 18th, 2019: Jaye Maynard performs with The Art Mob.

NEXT SALON:

Next Salon will be February 17th, 2019!
Our Theme for the evening will be "With A Little Help From My Friends" with Co-Hosts: Marcus Simeone, Lina Koutrakos, & Sean Harkness.

-Candice Oden
Blogette for The Salon
Email me with quirks and queries