Arts & Entertainment
Big Band Meets Broadway
Annual Benefit for Arsenal Center for the Arts expected to be a swingin' good time.
This Saturday, you’re invited to an evening of Broadway favorites performed by a 16-piece Big Band.
The concert, which will raise money for the Arsenal Center for the Arts, features swing band renditions of classic show tunes written by Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, and others. The jazz arrangements were written by the band's leader and saxophonist Larry Monroe.
"I'm grateful that the Arsenal Center for the Arts will promote live jazz by allowing us to merge two great American music traditions; jazz and the American songbook," Monroe says. "In an age where artistic music struggles to survive, the Arsenal Center provides an important haven for the creative musician with its comfortable venues, professional staff, and appreciative audiences."
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Monroe has performed internationally for more than 40 years, working with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Lou Rawls, and Buddy Rich. He will be joined on stage by vocalist Donna McElroy, a local jazz stylist and also a veteran of the music industry.
The Arsenal Center's executive director, Sharon Glennon, is excited about the March 24 event.
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"This annual benefit is just one of the many ways we bring the Arsenal Center community together to enjoy some of the best music Boston has to offer," she says. "We are thrilled to encourage and foster our growth with such a wonderful concert."
In addition to the concert, Joyce Kulhawik will present the annual Charles Mosesian Award for Support of the Arts to brothers Bruce A. Beal and Robert L. Beal of The Beal Companies, a successful commercial real estate company.
According to the Arsenal Arts website, this award "is given annually to an individual or corporation that enriches the lives of artists, arts organizers and the public by supporting the arts with an outstanding commitment."
The evening begins at 6:45 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception, followed by the concert at 8 p.m. Admission for the evening is $50. For tickets, visit the Arsenal Center for the Arts website or call 617-923-8487.
