UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 36, Page 3
July 3, 1996
On Sharp Campus; July Arts Fest: 'Come Outside and See the Stars'

     The Independence Day holiday weekend in Lewes will feature the
beginning of "Come Outside and See the Stars," the theme for the
University's Summer Arts Festival that begins Saturday evening, July
6, with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.
     The four-night annual event continues July 11, 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 on July 12 ; and a "mostly pops" concert
performance July 13 by the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.
     All events will be 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.
     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.
     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 is scheduled at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 11.
     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.
     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."
     Dan 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.
     Though new to the U.S., Patricia Conroy is no stranger to the
world of country music. She has been a hit in Canada since 1990 when
she released her first album, Blue Angel.
     In 1994, she was named the Canadian Country Music Association's
"Female Vocalist of the Year."
     The American Family Theatre returns to the festival with a
"Broadway For Kids" series production of the popular children's
classic, Cinderella, which begins at 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 12.
     Cinderella and her friend Mortimer Mouse sing and dance their way
from the stepmother's kitchen to Prince Charming's ball. All the
characters come to life with gusto, and the special effects are sure
to thrill all ages in this family musical favorite.
     The Delaware Symphony Orchestra wraps up the festival on
Saturday, July 13 (raindate is July 14), with its 11th annual Cape
Concert, a feature that comes close to selling out.
     The event begins with entertainment by the Sin City Band at 5:30
p.m. The symphony performance starts at 8 p.m.
     Led by conductor Stephen Gunzenhauser, this "mostly pops" concert
generally runs the gamut of composers from Sousa to 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.
     All festival events are free to children under the age of 7.
     Cinderella is free to everyone up to the age of 17.
     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.
                                                          -Beth Thomas