The Cleveland Orchestra
CONCERT PRESENTATION
Blossom Music Center
1145 West Steels Corners Road
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223
_____________________
The Great
American Songbook:
Gershwin & Ellington
Sunday, July 18, 2021, at 7 p.m.
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
with Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
conducted by Lucas Waldin
FUNNY FACE OVERTURE
music by George Gershwin (1898-1937)
“STRIKE UP THE BAND”
from Strike Up the Band
lyrics by Ira Gershwin (1896-1983)
music by George Gershwin
“ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE”
from Very Warm for May
lyrics by Jerome Kern (1885-1945)
music by Oscar Hammerstein 2d (1895-1960)
“GET HAPPY”
lyrics by Ted Koehler (1894-1973)
music by Harold Arlen (1905-1986)
“SATIN DOLL”
lyrics by Johnny Mercer (1909-1976)
to music by Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
and Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967)
“GOODY GOODY”
lyrics by Johnny Mercer
music by Matty Malneck (1903-1981)
COLE PORTER MEDLEY
music by Cole Porter (1891-1964)
“THE MAN I LOVE" from Lady, Be Good
by George and Ira Gershwin
“FASCINATING RHYTHM” from Lady, Be Good
by George and Ira Gershwin
“SUMMERTIME” from Porgy and Bess
by George and Ira Gershwin
“I GOT RHYTHM” from Girl Crazy
by George and Ira Gershwin
I N T E R M I S S I O N
TRIBUTE TO IRVING BERLIN
music by Irving Berlin (1888-1989)
“A-TISKET, A-TASKET”
music by Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
and Van Alexander (1915-2015)
“BEWITCHED, BOTHERED, AND BEWILDERED"
from Pal Joey
lyrics by Lorenz Hart (1895-1943)
music by Richard Rodgers (1902-1979)
“SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE”
from Daddy Long Legs
music and lyrics
by Johnny Mercer (1909-1976)
IN THE MOOD
music by Joe Garland (1903-1977)
and Wingy Manone (1900-1982)
OVER THE RAINBOW
music by Harold Arlen (1905-1986)
with words by Yip Harburg (1896-1981)
“ZING WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART”
from Thumbs Up!
music and lyrics
by James F. Hanley (1892-1942)
“BLUES IN THE NIGHT”
lyrics by Johnny Mercer
to music by Harold Arlen
“HOW HIGH THE MOON” from Two for the Show
lyrics by Nancy Hamilton (1908-1985)
music by Morgan “Buddy” Lewis (1906-1968)
_____________________
2021 Blossom Music Festival
Presenting Sponsor:
The J.M. Smucker Company
This evening's concert
is sponsored by Arhaus.
This concert is dedicated to
the following donors in recognition
for their extraordinary support
of The Cleveland Orchestra:
Jeanette Grasselli Brown
and Glenn R. Brown*
Mark and Shelly Saltzman
A M E R I C A H A S inspired creative endeavors and ideas from jazz to Southern fried chicken, from telephones to iPhones, from moonshine and Manhattans to blue jeans. And — sitting here in the great outdoors at Blossom — let us not forget the idea and reality of national parks for the benefit of all.
Generations of Americans have also brought new energy and innovation to music, from Broadway to Hollywood, from jazz clubs to big band dance halls, from hoe-down shindigs to symphonic wonders. And, without equal, to the idea of a set of “standard” songs representing the best this country has to offer. Not just songs wrapped in flag-waving patriotism, but a “Great American Songbook” that tells, not so much about love of country, but about living life in this country, filled with tales of love and laughter, heartache and headache. Of America’s rise in the 20th century as an emblem of freedom to be . . . whoever you are.
The Great American Songbook represents a core suite of songs — from stage, screen, dance club, and jazz hall — that was the accompanying soundtrack for this country in the first half of the 20th century, across two world wars to the edge of the Space Age. Breathed into existence by legendary composers and lyricists, singers and musicians, these timeless classics still touch our hearts. Artists such as the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Duke Ellington, Yip Harburg, Ella Fitzgerald, and Johnny Mercer have lit up countless nights of romance and revelry, friendship and understanding.
Each of these songs comes to life in melody and words, graced with beauty and poignancy — of optimistic exuberance or rounded off to melancholic loss and yearning. Whether created for the Broadway stage, the silver screen, or in the creative cauldron of Harlem’s Cotton Club, these songs comment directly on life’s universal moments: of living, loving, laughing, lusting, lingering, and lamenting. Our shared experiences with all their cadence and careening, boiled down to one song after another to capture our hearts, our feelings, our humanity anew.
This evening’s concert features Broadway star Capathia Jenkins, whose previous forays at Blossom Music Festivals have shown her sure onstage style and touch, joined tonight by The Cleveland Orchestra led by Lucas Waldin.
So “Strike Up the Band” because we are all “In the Mood” for some “Fascinating Rhythm” with that special someone and “All the Things You Are.” “Something’s Gotta Give” no matter “How High the Moon!” Enjoy and “Get Happy” now!
—Eric Sellen
C A P A T H I A J E N K I N S 's career spans the arts of acting and music. Gripped with passion for each, she has refused to choose — because both represent her soul. She approaches a song the same way she approaches a script, like an artist. She looks for nuance in every detail, for the secrets hidden within the notes or text — intent on taking audiences on an unforgettable journey.
The Brooklyn-born Jenkins most recently released the critically acclaimed CD Phenomenal Woman the Maya Angelou Songs with her collaborator Louis Rosen and they sold out the world-famous Birdland Theatre in New York City for three nights.
She starred as Medda in the Disney production of Newsies on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, where she created the role of Harriet Jackson, and subsequently starred in the Off-Broadway 2000 revival of Godspell. She returned to Broadway in The Look of Love, and created the role of The Washing Machine in Caroline, Or Change and Frieda May in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. In 2007, she went back to Off-Broadway and starred in (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Her stage credits also include Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore.
As an active concert artist, Ms. Jenkins has appeared with orchestras across North America, from Minnesota to Cleveland, from Atlanta to Seattle, and from San Diego to Toronto, as well as appearing to acclaim in Europe. Her television credits include 30 Rock, The Practice, Law & Order, and The Sopranos.
For more information, please visit www.capathiajenkins.com.
L U C A S W A L D I N is a dynamic and versatile conductor whose performances have delighted audiences across North America.
Specializing in Symphonic Pops, Mr. Waldin has collaborated with artists including Carly Rae Jepsen, Ben Folds, Chantal Kreviazuk, the Barenaked Ladies and Buffy Sainte-Marie, in addition to presentations such as Disney in Concert, Blue Planet Live, and Cirque de la Symphony. Mr. Waldin has been a guest conductor for orchestras in Canada and the U.S., including the Houston Symphony, Grant Park Festival Orchestra, Modesto Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony.
Mr. Waldin joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as resident conductor in 2009 and was subsequently appointed artist-in-residence and community ambassador (2012-16). He has appeared with the orchestra over 150 times, including a performance in Carnegie Hall during the ESO's participation in the 2012 Spring for Music festival. In recognition of his accomplishments, he was awarded the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestra Conducting by the Canada Council for the Arts and received a Citation Award from the City of Edmonton for outstanding achievements in arts and culture.
A native of Toronto, Mr. Waldin holds degrees in flute and conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music.