UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 33, Page 6
May 23, 1996
Country comes to Summer Arts Festival in Lewes
Come Outside and See the Stars" is the theme for the University's
Summer Arts Festival scheduled July 6, 11, 12 and 13 in Lewes. Veteran
rock 'n' roll artists Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons will open the
festival, which continues with a tribute to country, pop and gospel
music by B.J. Thomas, Dan Seals and upcoming Canadian country singer
Patricia Conroy; an American Family Theatre production of Cinderella;
and a "mostly pops" concert performed by the Delaware Symphony
Orchestra.
All events are held on the University's College of Marine Studies
Hugh R. Sharp Campus, located at 700 Pilottown Rd. in Lewes, and will
be held under the stars. Seating is on the grass, and audience members
are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Picnic dinners are
encouraged, and there will be a variety of foods for purchase.
Rock 'n' Roll 'n' Remember with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Frankie Valli will kick off the festival at 8 p.m. on Saturday,
July 6. With one of the most distinctive voices in all of rock 'n'
roll, Valli continues to dazzle crowds throughout the world. With his
three-and-a-half octave range-a natural baritone that glides
effortlessly into a spectacular falsetto-Valli has sold more than 100
million records over the course of his career.
Together with The Four Seasons, Valli is among an elite handful
of performers who have chart singles from the 1950s through the 1980s.
In 1956, the group debuted on the pop charts with "The Apple of
My Eye," but it wasn't until 1962 that Valli's talent and hard work
were rewarded with the phenomenal success that would mark his career.
That year, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons recorded the No. 1 smash
hit "Sherry," which was quickly followed over the next few years with
such unforgettable original songs as "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like
a Man," "Candy Girl" and "Rag Doll," all of which became rock 'n' roll
classics.
"Let's Hang On" went to the number three spot on the pop charts
in 1966, while 1967 brought the immortal "Can't Take My Eyes Off of
You," plus the gold-selling 'C'Mon Marianne." In the mid-'70s, Valli
was back on top of the charts again, going platinum with the
bittersweet ballad, "My Eyes Adored You," and the big hits "Our Day
Will Come" and "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" which climbed to
No. 1, and stayed at the top for three weeks. Valli also scored
another mega-hit in 1978 with the title track of the best-selling
Grease soundtrack.
In 1987, "Big Girls Don't Cry" gained renewed interest when it
was featured in the soundtrack of the movie Dirty Dancing II.
In 1990, The Four Seasons were inducted in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall
of Fame, joining such legends as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Otis
Redding and Eric Clapton.
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons concert is sponsored by Price
Acura.
A Country/Pop Spectacular with B.J. Thomas, Dan Seals and Patricia
Conroy
B.J. Thomas
At 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 11, country/pop performers B.J.
Thomas and Dan Seals, along with rising Canadian country music star
Patricia Conroy, will perform at the festival.
This is the first time the festival has featured country music,
and organizers have lined up diverse performers with a broad base of
fan appeal.
Thomas has won five Grammys and two Doves and has had chart
success on the pop, country, gospel and adult contemporary charts. Dan
Seals has had 11 number-one country hits and four extremely popular
Top 10 pop hits to his credit. Conroy, the only one of the three to
have strictly adhered to country music, was voted the Canadian Country
Music Association's "Female Vocalist of the Year" in 1994.
Almost 50 million records after his initial success, B.J. Thomas'
versatility is still as important to his shows as his wonderfully
expressive voice.
"I love singing all of it," he says with the same enthusiasm he
brings to his high-voltage stage show. "I've always enjoyed singing
country-my first hit was country-gospel and old hymns mean a lot to
me, and I still really enjoy doing rock 'n' roll. I really don't think
it's that important what kind of song you sing as long as the attitude
that comes through is good."
In fact, Thomas has always chosen to present positive, uplifting
material, no matter what the genre. Whether it's songs like his mega-
hit "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" or his country smashes like
"New Looks From An Old Lover" or "Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned
Love," his approach is a testimony, not only his talent and
believability, but also to the fact that he is a survivor, someone who
has overcome adversity and addiction, who has weathered personal and
professional storms to emerge stronger than ever both personally and
musically.
Hits like "I Just Can't Help Believin'" and "Hooked On A Feeling"
sold millions of records for Thomas and were followed by hits like
"Rock 'n' Roll Lullaby" and the platinum-selling gospel album "Home
Where I Belong," which established Thomas as the biggest contemporary
Christian artist of the mid-'70s.
Dan Seals
Like B.J. Thomas, gifted musician Dan Seals also has achieved
success in different musical genres.
Seals began his musical career as one-half of the popular duo,
England Dan & John Ford Coley. The two became one of pop's most
consistent acts, churning out such unforgettable hits as "I'd Really
Love to See You Tonight" and "Nights Are Forever Without You."
When the pair decided to part company, Seals chose to dedicate
himself to making country records. Country music, with its personal
and passionate lyrical stance, was the perfect medium for him.
His venture into country brought him almost immediate success
with the heart-breaking "Everything That Glitters" and "You Still Move
Me." At the other end of the scale, he scored with such chart toppers
as "Bop" and "Let the Good Times Roll."
In between, he had such number one hits as "Addicted," "Meet Me
In Montana," "One Friend," "Love on Arrival," "I Will Be There,"
"Three Time Loser," "Big Wheels in the Moonlight" and "Rage On."
Patricia Conroy
Though new to the U.S., Patricia Conroy is no stranger to the
world of country music. Known for a big voice that can be
alternatively sultry or sweet, she has been a hit in Canada since 1990
when she released her first album, Blue Angel. Two years later, she
followed with Bad Day for Trains, which featured the Canadian Top 10
hit, "My Baby Loves Me" and two number one singles, the title track
and "What Do You Care?"
This string of hits quickly established Conroy as a success with
an intense following of fans throughout Canada. In 1994, she was named
the Canadian Country Music Association's "Female Vocalist of the
Year."
Appearances on Music City Tonight, in addition to an intense
schedule of performances where she shared the stage with American
contemporaries Vince Gill and Reba McEntire, prompted a strong
response in the States.
Now, with the release of You Can't Resist, Conroy is touring in
support of the album.
American Family Theatre's 'Cinderella'
The American Family Theatre returns to the festival for its 15th
consecutive year with a "Broadway For Kids" series production of the
popular children's classic, Cinderella, which begins at 7:30 p.m.,
Friday, July 12.
"The shows burst with energy, song and special effects. Again and
again, American Family Theater proves how strong it is in creating
original contemporary theatre," The New York Times' Leslie Bennett
says.
The Philadelphia Inquirer asks, "Why isn't all children's theatre
of this extraordinary caliber?"
Cape Concert with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra
The Delaware Symphony Orchestra wraps up the festival on
Saturday, July 13 (raindate-July 14), with its 11th annual Cape
Concert, a feature that comes close to selling out each year. The
event begins with entertainment by the Sin City Band at 5:30 p.m., and
the symphony performance starts at 8 p.m.
Led by renowned conductor, Stephen Gunzenhauser, this "mostly
pops" concert generally runs the gamut of composers from Sousa and
Gershwin to Gould and Tchaikovsky.
As is the tradition, it's Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture that almost
brings the house down when, at the precise moment, a switch is thrown
that electronically ignites the thundering 16 big guns of the
Lancaster Cannon Company. A short while later, the night-time sky over
Lewes is ablaze with the brilliance of a spectacular fireworks
display. This year, Milton Balloon Festival also will provide a
colorful "Balloon-glow" to wrap up the symphony performance.
Ticket information
All festival events are free to children under the age of 7.
Advance tickets for Rock 'n' Roll 'n' Remember are $5 for youths
ages 7-17 years and $15 for adults. Day-of-show tickets are $7 for
youths and $17.50 for adults.
Advance tickets for the Country/Pop Spectacular are $5 for youths
ages 7-17 and $10 for adults. Day-of-show tickets are $7 for children
and $12.50 for adults.
Cinderella is free to everyone up to the age of 17. Adult tickets
are $5 in advance and $7 day of show.
Advance tickets for the Cape Concert are $5 for youths ages 7-17
and $12 for adults. Day-of-show tickets are $7 for youths and $15 for
adults.
Advance tickets for all events are available by mailing requests
to University of Delaware, Higher Education Building, P.O. Box 660,
Georgetown, DE 19947. Tickets also are on sale at UD offices located
at 4 The Green in Dover and at the Higher Education Building on Route
404 in Georgetown as well as at the Lewes Chamber of Commerce &
Visitors Center, 120 Kings Highway and at box offices on the UD campus
in Newark.
For information or to charge tickets, call 855-1620. With the
exception of the Cape Concert, all events will be held rain or shine.
PNC Bank is sponsoring the symphony performance and WBOC-TV is
sponsoring the fireworks.
Planning for the event, which was founded in 1989, is coordinated
through the University's Office of Alumni and University Relations.
-Beth Thomas