Saturday, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. — BRANDON — Broadway performer Bill Carmichael and favorite local pianist Fred Barnes team up for an evening of American standards and show-tunes at Brandon Music on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The duo will present some holiday songs along with simply beautiful renditions of popular songs like Cole Porter’s “So in Love,” “Isn’t it a Pity?” by George Gershwin, and Richard Rodgers’ “My Romance.” Take a step back in time with striking melodies and lyrics from the American song book.
Bill Carmichael was last seen on Broadway in “Mamma Mia.” Other Broadway credits include “Les Miserables,” “Cats,” and “Peter Pan.” Carmichael was in the original production of “Forbidden Broadway” and can be heard on the original cast recording. In Los Angeles he was in the original U.S. premiere of “Ragtime;” “Forever Plaid;” and “Sweeney Todd” with Kelsey Grammer, Neil Patrick Harris and Christine Baranski. His local productions include “Other Desert Cities” at Vermont Stage; Northern Stage’s production of the “Crucible;” “Sight Unseen” at the Flynn Space; “Pippin” at the Depot Theater; “A Little Night Music” with the Middlebury Opera and 14 productions at Saint Michaels Playhouse, including “Rumors,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Arsenic and Old Lace” and “Pirates of Penzance.” He lives in Vergennes where he owns and operates the Emerson House B&B with his wife Sue.
Fred Barnes has been a pianist and vocalist on cruise ships, was the house pianist at the Sheraton Russell Hotel on Park Avenue in New York City for four years and has performed extensively in New York, New Jersey and Vermont. He has also instructed students in jazz piano for over 25 years. Barnes is a regular performer at Brandon Music where the audience always eagerly awaits his next visit.
“Fred Barnes is a master. He commands a seemingly endless repertoire of standards, all served up with breath-taking technique. I’d say that no one plays piano like this anymore, except that there’s nothing old-fashioned about his playing. In Fred’s hands, even the oldest standard becomes as fresh as the day it was written,” saidDouglas Anderson, executive director of the Middlebury Town Hall Theater.
Concert tickets are $20. A pre-concert dinner is also available for $20. Reservations are recommended for the show and required for dinner. Venue is BYOB. Call 802-247-4295 or e-mail info@brandon-music.net for reservations or for more information. Brandon Music is located at 62 Country Club Road, Brandon.
