COURT HOUSE — The Middle Township PAC will host Linda Gentille & The Jersey Shore Pops holiday show on Dec. 13, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. The show, Buglers Holiday will feature many local stars including conductor Linda Gentille, The Dueling Violins, Percussionist Ray Deeley, Sopranos Jacklyn Buckingham and Michelle Englsh, Clifford Buggs and Baritone Ron Baker. The show also will feature a special presentation from Middle Township Middle School Band led by Cindy Yenolevich.
This is the first matinee of the year for the orchestra with a start time of 2:00 p.m. Music director and conductor Linda Gentille comments, “We wanted to have a matinee this season in the winter because so many of our patrons have requested one. I enjoy going to matinees myself and hope that our concert goers will as well. There are many early bird dining specials our concert goers can take advantage of after the concert which makes for a wonderful evening of music and dining.”
Broadway and Operatic Soprano Michelle English has been invited to join The Vocal Stars of The Jersey Shore Pops Orchestra for 2015. Michelle English is a veteran singer with numerous Broadway productions. Her permanent residence is in the greater Philadelphia area. English has performed with The Berks Grand Opera, Reading Civic Opera, Steelriver Playhouse, Forge Theater, Footlighters Theater and Methacton Community Players. During the summer she can also be found cantoring at Saint Brendan The Navigator Parish.
One of the guest stars is New York-based baritone, Ron Baker. Mr. Baker had the opportunity to perform over 60 leading roles all over the world, both on Broadway and opera stages, with much critical acclaim. Some of his Broadway highlights include the title role in Phantom with Kristin Chenoweth as Christine, and Javert in Les Miserables. In one performance at Carnegie Hall, he had the chance to perform with Bernadette Peters, Glenn Close, Madeline Khan, Liza Minelli and others! In opera, he performed standards like Marcello in La Boheme at Lincoln Center and many world premieres, such as the first American opera in history at the Bolshoi Opera in Russia. Though now a life coach, author and bioenergetics therapist, he still loves to show up from time to time on concert stages.
Also guest starring with the show will be Soprano Jacklyn Buckingham. Buckingham made her debut with the Pop in 2010 and was such a huge success, that they made her the first official regular guest vocalist for the orchestra. Buckingham is a Graduate of Montclair State University with a B.A. in Theater and a minor in Musical Theater is also a new drama teacher at Middle Township High School. She has performed in numerous musicals including Les Miserables, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The World Goes Round and Cabaret. She is currently a member of the Shaken Not Stirred Players whose ‘Broadway By Request’ show has wowed audiences around the area and recently performed to a sold out audience at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut.
One of the featured instrumental performers is percussionist Ray Deeley. Ray Deeley, principal percussionist with the Jersey Shore Pops received a full scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music graduating in 1955. After graduating, he became an in-demand percussionist performing with major stars around the country, including Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Liza Minelli and Julie Andrews.
He traveled with the Dick Clark tours in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and was this was the first American band to ever perform in Hong Kong. He was a studio musician performing for major musical stars throughout his career and continues to perform in many casino headliner shows. He was an educator of music at the Arch Diocese of Philadelphia, New Jersey and Bucks County Community and Immaculata Colleges. He continues to be in demand as both a drummer and percussionist for various musical artists throughout Philadephia and New Jersey.
Also included in this star studded event will be The Dueling Violins which is the violin virtuoso mother daughter team of Susan and her gorgeous daughter Amina Elsayed. Elsayed, former Concert Master of the Ocean City Pops, has been performing with her daughter with the Pops since its inception in 2009 and the duo have become one of the most popular attractions for the pops orchestra in recent years.
Susan Elsayed is Principal violinist and featured soloist with the Jersey Shore Pops. Elsayed studied with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and earned her violin performance Bachelor`s Degree from The Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts. She was the Concert Mistress of the Ocean City Pops during the 80`s under the leadership of Frank Ruggieri and currently is also violinist with the Masterworks Choir/Ensemble. Elsayed has performed in the main show rooms of the casinos for such headliners as Frank Sinatra, Josh Groban. Andrea Bocelli and Tony Bennett. featured violinist with the Carl Granieri That`s Italian Show. The mother daughter duo have become one of the most popular acts to perform with the Jersey Shore Pops. Elsayed has the distinct honor of being awarded “Teacher of the Year 2013” by the Brigantine School District and the State of New Jersey, Department of Education, Atlantic County Office.
The advanced Fifth Grade instrumental student of Middle Township Elementary School #2, under the direction of Mrs. Cindy Yenolevich, will be performing with Linda Gentille and the Jersey Shore Pops. The concert will be held at the Middle Township Performing Arts Center on Dec. 13 at 2 p.m.
Yenolevich’s students start playing instruments in 4th grade to prepare for middle school and the high school. They receive a 40 minute group lesson once per week. Students who have worked hard, and progressed to a certain point in their lesson books were invited to participate.
The Jersey Shore Pops is a big band orchestra with string section, modeled after the orchestras of the Frank Sinatra era which featured a string section along with the bid band sounds. The orchestra was founded by entertainer and conductor Linda Gentille in 2009. The orchestra features 30 of the finest New Jersey musicians either born or based in New Jersey and has become the most popular orchestra at the shore and an attraction for tourists from all over the east coast for the past 5 years. Many Philly Pops fans patronize the Jersey Shore Pops Summer Concert Series when the Philly Pops is on vacation during the summer months.
To purchase tickets to Buglers Holiday, please call the JSP Ticket Office at 800-838-3006. You can view the seating chart of the theater and choose your own seats online by going to www.JerseyShorePops.org. Tickets are also available for this concert at the PAC for walk up or phone purchases. Please call 609- 463- 1924 for more information on those tickets. The theater is located at 212 Bayberry Ave, off exit 10 off the Garden State Parkway. There is convenient and free parking at the facility.
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