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Let Your Light Shine!
Fall 2019 Newsletter (Sep/Oct/Nov)
In This Issue  
Join Our List
BACA Mission Statement
Singer Showcase/
Open Mic
Tue., 10/15m 7-10pm

Quick Links

BACA Leadership
Member Highlight - 
Frank Stewart "Paco"
Friday, 8/30, 6:30 pm
(Featuring what BACA members are up to...) 

Frank Stewart, alias "Paco," and his Oldies Band will  perform at the Herter Park Shell on the banks of the Charles River in Allston/ Cambridge followed by the movie "Back To The Future" on  Friday, Aug.  30 at 6:30 pm Much Fun!


Member Highlights 
"Music Salon" 
Potluck, Art, and Music
Join Our List
Member Highlight - 
Women In Music 
10/24, 7:00 pm
(Featuring what BACA members are up to...) 

Thursday, 10/24, 7:00 pm, Come celebrate with  The Women In Music Gathering featuring Mary Crowe and Linda Marks performing at The Loop, in the Armory, Somerville, MA. 

From Our Archives . . .
What is Cabaret? 
Message from the President 
Jim Keating
Greetings!

I hope you enjoyed a great summer of fun and music. As  we move into the fall, we look forward to reinvigorating our arts  organization. Our monthly Open Mic continues to serve as our  flagship event with rotating accompanists and emcee. Many thanks to  Linda Marks for producing it.

Before we changed to rolling membership renewals, BACA members used  to renew membership in September. Your membership helps us continue  and support our work, and gets you event discounts and entry to the  Holiday Party. Thanks to Linda Marks for volunteering to host it at  her home. (See more in this issue.)

Recently Thomas Casey and Richard York stepped off the Board of  Directors. We thank them for their service and willingness to  continue to support the board. We welcome any members interested in  serving on the Board of Directors, so let me know!

We look forward to hosting more events and possibly another  masterclass this year.

Yours in music and self-expression,
Jim Keating, President
BACA Open Mics
 
by Linda Marks,
Board, Open Mic Director

Come join the fun and let 
your light shine!

Held at  The First Parish Church, 35 Church St. in Watertown with  FREE parking.  For more information, visit the   BACA Open Mic webpage or 
contact Linda Marks.
 
Upcoming Open Mics
  • September 25 - Accompanist: Tom LaMark
  • October 23 - Accompanist: Jim Rice
  • November 20 - Accompanist: Steve Heck
  • December 18 - Accompanist: Joe Reid

Hours

Socializing and sign-up are from 6:45-7:00 pm. The Open mic is from 7:00 until 10:30 pm. Singers should  prepare up to two songs with music charts in the correct key.
 
Admission
$10.00 BACA Members
$13.00 non-members
$7.00 students and listeners
 
For more information, visit the BACA Open Mic webpage or contact Linda Marks, Board Open Mic Director.  
SAVE THE DATE - BACA HOLIDAY POTLUCK PARTY 
Sunday, Dec. 8, from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
In Waltham at Linda Marks lovely home! 

The Board is excited to announce our annual Members' Holiday Potluck Party at the lovely home of Linda Marks in  Waltham for Sunday, 12/8 from 4-7pm.

Good food, great camaraderie, with comfy surroundings and welcoming spaces for conversation. And, of course, an open mic with Joe Mulholland on piano. 


This potluck party is open to current members whose membership is paid up. Keep an eye on the Yahoo Group Members postings for details as we get closer to December. See you there!
Member Feature - 
JM Productions & Rising Stars

As we've all learned, it's not just the talent onstage that creates entertainment. It takes a lot of talent to produce and market shows. We are very lucky to have several world-class producers in the area. Here's a little more about John McDonald you may not know. Thank you, John, for supporting and promoting talent. We couldn't do it without you!!
 
As entertainment and event producer of JM Productions and "Rising Stars," John McDonald has been bringing quality entertainment to audiences for over 30 years including critically acclaimed theatrical events, major musicals, celebrity concert series, and children's theater. He has worked with many celebrities, conceived and produced wildly successful sold out tours, and organized series of concerts and events including but not limited to Jazz, Dixieland, Big Band/Swing, Broadway, Irish/Celtic and New Age performances.
 
Deeply concerned with helping to give a leg up to the next generation, Mr. McDonald is the creator of The Quincy Cultural Center Inc., a non-profit cultural community arts center where his many dance, drama and voice workshops bring Broadway talent to Quincy to conduct master classes, week long workshops during school vacations and for two weeks in the summer. Many of his students have gone on to the finest colleges as dance, drama and voice majors, and some have been cast in roles on Broadway and in national tours.
 
He has a very diverse background in entertainment from event planning to modeling, and has been a personal assistant to stars and supermodels, such as Isabella Rossellini, Cher, Lauren Bacall, Matthew Broderick, Sir Paul McCartney, Kiss and Aerosmith - just to mention a few. He's seen and knows a lot.
 
He is always on the lookout for seasoned artists, talented bands, and up-and-coming acts. So, for more information about John McDonald, JM Productions and "Rising Stars" visit:  https://jmproductionspresents.com 


Member Highlight -  Linda Marks 
CD Release Event for "In Grace"
Sunday, 10/13, at Noon,  The Burren, Somerville
(Featuring what BACA members are up to...) 

Linda is releasing her new CD "In Graceperforming a brunch show Sunday, October 13 at Noon at The Burren, 247 Elm Street in Somerville.
 
It will be an amazing show with " Three At Home" opening. They are the 2019 New England Music Award nominees for Best in State in MA. 

Linda will have her full band playing with her and "In Grace" has gotten great reviews from AJ Wachtel and Billy Copeland Music News.
Membe r Highlight - 
Gail Leondar-Wright and Aryadna
(Featuring what BACA members are up to...) 

Tuesday, September 24, starting 7:30 p.m. with Joe Mulholland at the keys.

Always running late? Or are you one of those people who shows up early, silently judging people w
ho have a more relaxed relationship to time? Do you sometimes look around and wonder where the time has gone? Sit back and let Gail and Aryadna ease your anxieties about time with some snappy jazz, Broadway and Beatles. The hour will fly by. 

At Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston. 
Reservations strongly encouraged:
617-536-0966 or visit https://www.clubcafe.com/reserve/

CabaretBeat -  the Saint Louis Cabaret Conference
"The Art of Song Performance" 
Sophie Glasser brings us the scoop from the final gala of the July 2019 Saint Louis Cabaret Conference , the longest running and largest training program of its kind in the country held on The Stage at KDHX.  Classes and housing took place on the beautiful urban campus of Saint Louis University in the heart of St. Louis. 

The faculty included Tim Schall, Tedd Firth, Jeff Harnar, Marilyn Maye, Faith Prince, Alex Rybeck, Peisha McPhee, Christopher Denny, and Michael Orland. (For bios follow the link.)

Read on for her CabaretBeat Report...
Concerts at the Saint Louis Cabaret Festival 2019 fundraising gala featured many famous, phenomenal singers. Christine Pedi was my favorite. She was more of a comedian telling us stories of Broadway. Some of the faculty performed. Jeff Harnar sang a hilarious version of "Don't' Marry Me." Jim Caruso did a spine-tingling rendition of "If You Only Had A Brain," which reminded me of the classic cabaret idea that you can make your own arrangement of a song and slow it down to the speed and intonation that's right for you. "Cabaret is the art of being present," said one of the performers.
 
In a sparkly dress, Peisha McPhee did several songs about love, as did Faith Prince who was another crowd-pleaser. Finally, the star of the evening, Marilyn Maye, came out in a beautiful sparkling purple print shirt and sang "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and other love songs. (Where does she find her amazing clothes!?!) She reminded us, "The star of the show is always the audience," which really made me think! The hands of her piano player, Tedd Firth, moved so fast they were a blur.
 
The "Professional Track" showcased people from all over the U.S. including a woman who laid on the floor for "Vodka," another who dressed like a princess, a man singing "Downtown," and a woman who did both the grand finale of "If You Knew My Story" and "Gratitude," both of which brought down the house. 
 
I am grateful for the Cabaret community both nationwide and right here in Boston. I loved how one of the people at the gala and one of the women on the Professional Track both performed the same song, but did them in totally different styles and with their own unique facial expressions and body movements, so that they were still so completely interesting, reminding us that you put your own unique flavor on a song.
 
Now, look for me as 'Sparkling Sophie,' as I am putting sparkly sequin shirts and dresses on my Cabaret wardrobe shopping list.  -- -Sophie, thank you for the inside scoop! 

Dear BACA Members,
Oh, my goodness, is it really time to pull out "Autumn Leaves?" (Thank you Jacques PrĂ©vert and Johnny Mercer!) Take good care of your sweet selves this Fall. We're wish ing you a colorful New England Fall - apple picking, pumpkin carving and great music . See you onstage. 
 
Wendy Wolfberg, BACA Newsletter Editor