The Haywood Street Fresco Team is thrilled to announce
IMAGINE...REPRISE!
a benefit concert to support the Fresco and core programs of Haywood Street!
Artistic Director David Troy Francis returns; bringing together a HOST of extraordinary artists--singers, actors, poets, instrumentalists and more--a Spring evening of FUN, a high caliber variety SPECTACULAR! This fabulous evening of entertainment will be on
May 9th, 2020 at 7pm
Central United Methodist Church
27 Church Street, Asheville NC 28801
Emceed by PAMELA WRIGHT (HSC 2020 Board Chairperson) and JASON SANDFORD (Ashvegas, founder/editor); the concert will include Asheville's own QUEEN BEE & THE HONEYLOVERS (Mattick Frick, Whitney Moore, Trevor Stoia, James Posedel); award-winning poet, GLENIS REDMOND; North Carolina songstress, JANE KRAMER; opera baritone headliner, ALPHONSO CHERRY; incomparable vocalist, CAROL DUERMIT; master trumpeter, BRIAN GARLAND; entrancing singer/actor, MK PENLEY; operatic soprano extraordinaire, SIMONE VIGILANTE; riveting vocalist, ANDRE' ELLERBY, powerful singer/actor, JACQUELINE COLLISON; fabulous tenor, WILL JONES, soul & blues group sure to make you move, BILL MATTOCKS & THE STRUT (Tim McCall, Jacqui Fehl, Marc Friedlander, Alec Fehl, Bob Bencze); Flat Rock's favorite funny man/actor, SCOTT TREADWAY; Asheville's dynamic vocal group, PASTYME (Ken Wilson, Roberto Flores, Jeff Konz, Lee Thomas, Nana Hosmer Griffin, Pamela Miller, Virginia DeMoss, Rachel Hansbury) and more!
The BOYS IN THE BAND will include MATTICK FRICK (drums), CRAIG KELLBERG (bass), BRAD CURTIOFF (digital keyboards), and DAVID TROY FRANCIS (piano). Scroll down to bottom of this site to learn about the artists!
Remember how great the last IMAGINE...concert was in August?
Come see Act II of IMAGINE...
IMAGINE...REPRISE!
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Reserve your seats online
Reserve online tickets here!
Introduction to The Haywood Street Fresco
Principal artist, Christopher Holt, and his team artfully portrayed in plaster and pigment Haywood Street’s vision of community through a large scale work of art in the medium of fresco.
Funds raised from the concert will support the Fresco and help sustain all of Haywood's programs including the Downtown Welcome Table and Respite. We are working to ensure that the Fresco is part of the Asheville public art & cultural experience, continually bringing in new visitors and resources to enable Haywood Street to grow and thrive.
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Thank you to our sponsors!
PRESENTING SPONSORS
RDA FOUNDATION
10 NEWBRIDGE APARTMENTS
“Giving back to those in need”
#realdesignatlas
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We are seeking financial sponsors to help underwrite the production costs of the concert.
Please contact Pam Siekman, Haywood Street Board member and Concert Chairperson for details.
pamsiekman@earthlink.net
828-335-6680
Reserve your tickets here!
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THE ARTISTS OF IMAGINE...REPRISE!
QUEEN BEE & THE HONEYLOVERS
Queen Bee and the Honeylovers is an unabashedly joyful swing band that performs all-original compositions with a dedicated ‘nod’ to the small-jazz-combo and 'hot club' legends who first defined the genre. The Honeylovers hail from Asheville, North Carolina; a Historic township where tradition collides with contemporary innovation to create *brand new* art and culture. Their arrangements are upbeat and nostalgic - with enough ‘sweetness’ for the whole hive. Vocal-driven with an infectious groove, the Honeylovers are guaranteed to put a grin on your face and a tap in your toes.
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ALPHONSO CHERRY
Baritone Alphonso Cherry has been noted as one of America's brightest vocal artists. He’s been seen doing Gershwin's Porgy and Bess in the United States and abroad from North Carolina to Lyric Opera of Chicago (where he was chosen to sing in the renowned Zambelo production), San Francisco Opera (Zambelo production), and Princeton Opera Festival. At the Utah Opera Festival he had the pleasure of covering the title role in the Flying Dutchman. He has also performed La Traviata with Opera Carolina. He performed Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus with Opera Carolina in Charlotte, NC. He has toured with the Cincinnati Opera in their production of Oh Freedom! He was in the critically acclaimed Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Madama Butterfly, with Michigan Opera Theatre, as well as Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, and Aida with Piedmont Opera. At the Utah Opera Festival he had the pleasure of covering the title role in the Flying Dutchman. He has also performed La Traviata with Opera Carolina. He performed Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus with Opera Carolina in Charlotte, NC. He has toured with the Cincinnati Opera in their production of Oh Freedom! He was in the critically acclaimed Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Madama Butterfly, with Michigan Opera Theatre, as well as Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, and Aida with Piedmont Opera.
Alphonso received his education from UNC School of the Arts, Indiana University, and A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute. Alphonso studied with Maestro James Allbritten of Piedmont Opera, and the distinguished professor of voice, Virginia Zeani. Abroad he attended American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and Enzio Pinza Counsel for American Singers in Oderzo, Italy.
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JACQUELINE COLLISON
Jacqueline Collison has appeared in several theatre productions over the last 15 years. You may have seen her in Bark! The Musical as Chanel, Annie Get Your Gun as Annie and singing for Centre Stage's Holly Jolly Christmas, to name some of her favorites. She has also held many backstage roles including stagehand, costume assistant and light board operator. Jackie studied music performance at Elon University. A native of East Tennessee, she now lives in Greenville, SC. She is overjoyed to be getting the band back together here in Asheville. As always, she is most grateful to her husband and son for keeping her grounded.
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CAROL LESLIE DUERMIT
Carol Duermit, an Asheville favorite has performed in numerous theater productions in the region. She is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to North Carolina in 1996. Carol has lived in both Hendersonville and Asheville and been involved in the music scene in both places. From fronting blues and jazz bands as a lead singer to doing community theater, both musicals and non-musicals, she most recently embodied the last grand dames of Broadway, larger-than-life, Elaine Stritch, in Elaine Stritch: A Broadway Baby. Carol also served as emcee at Diana Wortham Theater in Imagine...a benefit for the Haywood Street Congregation Fresco.
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ANDRÉ ELLERBY
André Ellerby has spent much of his life bringing astonishment and inspiration to audiences with his sensational voice and acting talents. He has starred in multiple professional musical theatre performances including Rent, Chicago and Prime Ribbing. He has been cast in professional television commercials and performed in various venues including a recent performance at The Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville. Andre Ellerby was born on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and made his way to Morehouse College in Atlanta on a track scholarship. His love for the arts continues to permeate his work and life here in Atlanta where he resides.
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BRIAN GARLAND
Brian Garland currently serves as Professor of Trumpet at Mars Hill University. He is an active performer and specializes in orchestral studies, classical solo literature and brass quintet repertoire. Brian holds degrees from the Boston Conservatory (MM 2014) and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BM 2011). While in Boston he studied with Steve Emery, one of the top trumpet pedagogues in the United States, who has performed with world-renowned ensembles, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Ballet. While growing up in North Carolina he studied with Judith Saxton and Dr. Brad Ulrich. He currently lives in Asheville, NC, with his girlfriend Sarah and dog.
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WILL JONES
A native of White Stone SC, Will Jones is never happier than when he is singing in front of a crowd of people. Will is a founding member of the Asheville Gay men’s chorus and has also performed with Asheville Lyric opera , and both Asheville and Hendersonville community theaters . When he’s not singing he can be found teaching classes at Hot Yoga Asheville and putting people to sleep at Mission Hospital. Along with his husband, Barry Pate, Will is one half of the “singing Doctors” duo that has been entertaining Piccolo Spoleto audiences for the past 14 years.
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JANE KRAMER
Lauded by UK music reviewer Three Chords and the Truth as sounding like she was “…born to gypsy poets and raised by Emmylou Harris,” Asheville, North Carolina songstress Jane Kramer has garnered international recognition for the sultry, heartrending originality of her vocals and for the heavy-hitting lyrical eloquence of her songwriting. With deep roots in the musical traditions, culture and lore of her beloved Appalachia, Kramer’s songs are introspective, gracefully gritty and fiercely memorable. They elegantly sweep listeners down the gravel roads and southern coastal highways, midnight truck stops and lonely motel rooms of “hard learning” and lead home to the wooded Blue Ridge Mountains with moving acceptance of our flawed human experience. Kramer’s live performances are equally as poignant and engaging; rich with accessible, warm, often hilarious storytelling and gracefully lifting the veil between audience and performer.
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BILL MATTOCKS & THE STRUT
A six piece music ensemble (Bill Mattocks, Tim McCall, Jacqui Fehl, Marc Friedlander, Alec Fehl, Bob Bencze) comprised of drums, electric bass, keyboards, electric guitars, harmonicas and singers. The group performs tight well thought out music that is great to listen and dance to. With three lead singers they focus on interesting vocals and wonderful harmonies backed by the best in instrumentation. Bill Mattocks & The Strut carefully select music and are constantly adding new tunes to their songlist.
The ensemble started their musical life in 2003 as The Bill Mattocks Band in the Pacific Northwest and became one of the top draw bands in the general Seattle area until 2013 when Bill relocated to the Mountains of North Carolina, settling in Asheville. Bill reformed the Bill Mattocks Band and after finding the right balance of players and material changed the name to Bill Mattocks and The Strut. They are one of the more popular performance bands in the region appearing often at the better venues of Western North Carolina.
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PASTYME
Pastyme is an a capella vocal group from Asheville. With roots in the sacred and secular music of the High Renaissance, the group performs a cappella music from a wide variety of literature from classical to jazz, for concerts, church services, and special events. The members of Pastyme are all active in the music community of Asheville, singing with church choirs, the opera and musical theatre. Pastyme has also performed at numerous venues and churches in the Southeast.
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MK PENLEY
MK Penley is thrilled to again be performing in the mountains she calls home. Having started in the foothills of McDowell County, she performed in various community theatre shows and church programs in the area throughout her childhood. After graduating from Brevard High School, she went on to pursue and receive her BFA with honors at Mars Hill University. During her summers, she worked on various professional stages that included a summer long apprenticeship at Flat Rock Playhouse and productions at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre. She has also performed on Diana Wortham's stage as Mary in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and has been involved in countless productions at Asheville Community Theatre. MK went on to spend three years seeing the world and working as a featured singer on Regent Seven Sea's luxury cruise liners. She now resides in Atlanta, where she continues to perform and work full time as a project manager. She joyfully plays her favorite role of ' Mom' to her 2-year old son, Bear, along with her adoring husband.
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GLENIS REDMOND
Glenis Redmond’s love of words has carried her across the country for two decades. She logs over 35,000 miles a year bringing poetry to the masses. This Road Warrior Poet, though steeped in Afro-Carolininan roots, speaks a universal tongue of love, loss, celebration, sorrow and hope. Her verse uplifts family, culture and community. Glenis is a gentle pen pusher as she encourages others at diverse venues across the country from prisons, universities, festivals, conferences, camps, keynotes, rallies, to schools.
She is a Workshop Leader with the Kennedy Center’s Partnership in Education Program in Washington, D.C. Glenis’ work has aired on National Public Radio. She is a past winner of the Southern Fried Poetry Slam twice and a top ten finalist in the National Poetry Slam.
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SCOTT TREADWAY
Scott has cursed the Flat Rock Playhouse stage for 37 straight seasons as well as North Carolina Stage now for 18 years. He simply won't go away! He and his awesome 15 year old daughter, Ava, live in Hendersonville with their menagerie of animals. Favorite performances include: STONES IN HIS POCKETS, THE TUNA SHOWS, DIAL M FOR MURDER, ROUNDING THIRD, TWEFLTH NIGHT among bunches of others. He's thrilled to be here tonight. Check out his website treadshots.com
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SIMONE VIGILANTE
Simone Vigilante, Soprano Lauded by the Asheville Citizen-Times as a “beautiful dramatic soprano capable of some awesome fireworks”, has appeared in recitals and competitions, with opera companies and orchestras, throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Vigilante has lived in the Asheville area since 2001. While here, she has sung leading roles with The Modern American Music Project, Asheville Lyric Opera and Opera Creations, performed as soloist with the Asheville Symphony, Asheville Symphony Chorus, Asheville Choral Society, Asheville Area Piano Forum, performed on fundraisers for Hope to Home, Thrivent, WNCAP (Western North Carolina Aids Project), and serves as a regular Cantor/Soloist at St. Mary’s Church.
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PAMELA WRIGHT & JASON SANDFORD
Pamela Wright
Pamela Wright is a former broadcast meteorologist who now uses her communication skills to exalt organizations willing to accompany people through many of life’s unpredictable storms. She works for The SPARC Foundation and, as a longtime Companion at Haywood Street, is excited to serve as the 2020 Board Chair. Pamela wanted to support the Imagine...Reprise! concert because, “The Haywood Street Fresco publicly, boldly, and beautifully affirms everyone’s sacred worth and sabotages the shame of poverty by artistically glorifying what Haywood Street Congregation does best - keeping relationship above all else. What’s not to love?”
Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a former newspaper reporter and editor who now runs AshvegasDotCom, a local news and entertainment website focused on all things Asheville. His passion is sharing stories and connecting people. He's particularly thrilled to support the Community Concert to benefit the Haywood Street Congregation and its Fresco Project because it aligns with his aforementioned passion, which boils down to this: helping people be seen and appreciated for who they are and the role they play in our great community.
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THE BOYS IN THE BAND
MATTICK FRICK
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CRAIG KELLBERG
Craig Kellberg, double-bass, has been playing music longer than he can remember. Classical piano lessons at the age of 4, violin at 6, and singing in choir and plays since he was old enough to understand the concept. It wasn’t until 19 that he started playing the upright bass, but the moment he picked it up, he knew he’d finally found the instrument he could really love. He attended the University of Minnesota Morris from 2006-2011, earning his BA in Music Composition and Theatre. He moved to Asheville, NC five years ago, and since then has played regularly with many local acts such as Stephanies Id, The Resonant Rogues, and Hank West and the Smokin’ Hots. He is currently a member of Drayton and the Dreamboats as well as the Firecracker Jazz Band.
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BRAD CURTIOFF
Brad Curtioff, keyboardist, is the embodiment of a musical chameleon. He has been playing since the young age of 7, studied piano performance at West Virginia University, and continues to evolve musically today in the richly artistic city of Asheville, North Carolina. Brad is a faculty accompanist at the Mars Hill University music department in Mars Hill, NC, and serves as Music Director for St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Asheville, NC. Brad is also no stranger to the theater, performing and directing the music in a variety of musicals including Rent and Kiss Me, Kate. But his passion for jazz, rock, soul, and blues pushes him to collaborate on a number of projects including rhythm and blues specialists Citizen Mojo, and electro-jazz pioneers The Red Deco Club. He resides in Marshall, NC with his wife, Allison, and daughter, Gwen.
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DAVID TROY FRANCIS
Artistic Director
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Please join us on May 9th at 7pm for
IMAGINE...REPRISE!
Reserve your seats online!
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