Production Credits

It's a Grand Night for Singing!

Production Sponsors

Everett McCorvey, Producer

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the 33rd annual It’s a Grand Night for Singing!

I’m absolutely thrilled about this year’s production—not only because of the energy and excitement you’ll see on stage tonight, but because we are finally back to our pre-COVID number of performers. The enthusiasm in the rehearsal halls has been electric, and I believe you’ll feel that same spark from your seats.

What many people don’t realize is that we put this entire show together in just five weeks. The Monday after graduation, our cast gathers for the very first time to see the music, and from that moment, the whirlwind begins. Piece by piece, rehearsal by rehearsal, we build the show you’re enjoying this evening.

When Jim Rogers, former Director of Theatre, and I began this journey 32 years ago, our goal was simple but meaningful: to create a space where voice majors, theater majors, and community members could experience the fast-paced, high-energy process of building a brand-new show from the ground up—every single year.

In the early weeks of rehearsal, most cast members hadn’t even seen the full production. We work in smaller groups, in different spaces, stitching scenes and songs together until, by week three, the magic begins—when the full ensemble comes together, and the show takes flight.

But Grand Night is never just about what happens on stage. Behind the scenes is an army of extraordinary talent:

• The costumers (thank you to UK Department of Theatre & Dance!)
• Our fabulous stage director and choreographer, Peggy Stamps and Grady Bowman
• Our UK Opera Team, including, Megh Jennings-Posner and Aaron Bowling and their crew of stage managers and designers
• Our Musical Team including Dr. Tedrin Blair Lindsay and Nan McSwain
• Our lighting designer, Tanya Harper and her crew
• Our set designer Robert Pickering, and his crew of carpenters and technicians
• Sound designers and technical crew
• Local partners like Bryant’s Rent-All, who help us outfit the set and our legendary cast parties
• Generous donors like the Rosensteins, whose scholarships change lives
• The Dean’s Office, whose ongoing support keeps our operations running
• Our production and Community partner, OperaLex—your partnership means everything
• And of course, our phenomenal orchestra, gathered by Dr. Robert Seebacher and led by the wonderful Dr. Robert Baldwin, whose musical brilliance brings it all together

And yet, all of this only truly comes to life with you—our audience.

There’s nothing quite like hearing your applause, your laughter, your cheers. You are the final piece of magic in this performance. Your support fuels our spirit.

We live in a time when the arts, like many sectors, face real challenges. One of my favorite ads we’ve ever included in a Grand Night program came from Central Bank: a photo of a young person holding a clarinet with the caption:

“Instrument of Change.”

That’s what the arts are: instruments of change.

For me, it was the trumpet. I first heard one the summer before my third grade year, and thought it was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard. From the moment I picked it up, I knew music would be my life’s calling.

Many of the performers you’ll see tonight felt that same spark. Music and Theatre moved them so deeply, they chose to dedicate their lives to it—to spreading joy and beauty wherever they go.

So, let’s not stop the music. Let’s keep it going, however we can.

Please continue to support us. Because through our voices, our movement, our passion, and your generosity —

we are all, together, instruments of change.

With heartfelt thanks,

Everett McCorvey

____

Everett McCorvey is a tenor, conductor, producer, teacher, and the founder and director of the American Spiritual Ensemble. He serves as Director of Opera at the University of Kentucky and is the visionary behind It’s a Grand Night for Singing!, now in its 33rd year. A passionate advocate for the arts, Dr. McCorvey has dedicated his career to education, excellence in performance, and creating platforms for artists to shine.

It's a Grand Night for Singing! from the 1945 film, State Fair
by Rodgers and Hammerstein

SING ALONG WITH US!

All: It’s a Grand Night for Singing,
The moon is flying high,
And somewhere a bird who is bound to be heard,
Is throwing his heart at the sky!
It’s a Grand Night for Singing,
The stars are bright above,
The earth is aglow and to add to the show,
I think I am falling in love!

Low Voices: Maybe it’s more than the moon,
Maybe it’s more than the birds,
Maybe it’s more than the sight of the night
In a light too lovely for words.

High Voices: Maybe it’s more than the Earth,
Shiny and silvery blue,
Maybe the reason I’m feeling this way
Has something to do with you!

All: It’s a Grand Night for Singing,
The stars are bright above,
The earth is aglow and to add to the show,
I think I am falling in love!
Falling, falling in love!

All musical numbers arranged and orchestrated by Johnie Dean, unless otherwise noted.

ONE SHORT DAY
Wicked
Stephen Schwartz

Hailey Wells, Emma Whitt, & Company

MY NEW PHILOSOPHY
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Clark Gesner

Elijah Merricks, Kelli Jo Summers, Emily Wilder

CORNER OF THE SKY
Pippin
Stephen Schwartz

Elijah Merricks, Will Jones, Frank Espinosa, Brandon Whitish, Ethan Thomas, Andrew Tran

LET ME BE YOUR STAR
Smash
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

Kelli Evans, Ashley Phillips, Lindy Coolbear

THE SOUND OF SILENCE
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in the style of Pentatonix

Calia Burdette, Emily Hayes, Na’imah Muhammad, Jay McNamee, John Brown, Brandon Whitish, Elijah Geary, Ethan Thomas

SUMMERTIME
Porgy & Bess
George Gershwin

Alicia Helm McCorvey

YA GOT TROUBLE 
The Music Man 
Meredith Wilson

Robert Bosworth & Company

TO SIR WITH LOVE
To Sir with Love
Don Black & Mark London

Hailey Wells, Erin Hannon, Na’imah Muhammad, Calia Burdette

COFFEE IN A CARDBOARD CUP
And the World Goes Round
John Kander & Fred Ebb

Max Taylor, John Brown, Na’imah Muhammad, Alison McReynolds, Olivia Perez, Emma Whitt, Kelli Jo Summers, Ashley Phillips

AIN’T NO MAN
Swept Away
The Avett Brothers

Frank Espinosa, Jay McNamee, Elijah Merricks, & Company

SOMEWHERE OUT THERE
An American Tail
Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram
Arranged by Tedrin Blair Lindsay

Tedrin Blair Lindsay & Orchestra

DON’T TELL MAMA
Cabaret
John Kander & Fred Ebb

Alison McReynolds & Company

SEASONS OF LOVE
Rent
Jonathan Larson

Mariah E. Graves, Hailey Wells, Elijah Merricks, Na’imah Muhammad, & Company

LOVE MEDLEY
Andrew Lloyd Webber

Emily Hayes, Grace Ashley, Mariah E. Graves

LOATHING/WHAT IS THIS FEELING
Wicked
Stephen Schwartz

Emily Wilder, Jaila Yeast, & Company

FOR HER
The Great Gatsby
Jason Howland & Nathan Tysen

Andrew Tran, Pharel Silaban, Frank Espinosa

THE MARCH
Suffs
Shaina Taub

Erin Hannon, Mariah E. Graves, Emma Whitt, Emily Wilder, & Company

PRIMA DONNA
The Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Arranged by Tedrin Blair Lindsay

Tess Sergent, Will Jones, Andrew Tran

A WONDERFUL WORLD
Bob Thiele & George David Weiss

Alicia Helm McCorvey, Everett McCorvey, & Company

THE SCHUYLER SISTERS
Hamilton
Lin-Manuel Miranda

Elijah Merricks, Emma Whitt, Jaila Yeast, Olivia Perez, Vykai Forrester, & Company

SOMEWHERE
West Side Story
Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim

Dejah Watts

HIGHER AND HIGHER
Ghostbusters 2
Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner, & Carl Smith

Mariah E. Graves, Hailey Wells, Elijah Merricks, & Company

It’s a Grand Night for Singing
State Fair
Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II

Company

Soprano

Grace Ashley

Calia Burdette +

Meredith Cave

Rumi Chang

Morgan Chojnacki

Kelli Evans

Mariah E. Graves +

Katie Greene

Magnolia Hardt

Emily Hayes

Alicia Helm McCorvey

Rachel Moore

Lydia Naberhaus

Olivia Perez

Tess Sergent

Kelli Jo Summers *

Hailey Wells +

Emma Whitt

Alto

Kennedy Chisolm

Lindy Coolbear

Erin M. Hannon

Makenzie Little

Alison McReynolds

Na’imah Muhammad 

Gillian Perry

Ashley Phillips

Emily Wilder +

Jaila Yeast

Tenor

Mike Cooper

Frank Espinosa

Everett McCorvey

Jay McNamee

Elijah Merricks +

Eli Robinson

Pharel Silaban +

Andrew Tran

Michael White

Baritone

John Brown

Sawyer Covey

Vykai Forrester

Brandon Whitish +

Bass

Elijah Geary

Will Jones

Maximus Taylor

Ethan Thomas

Soloists

Robert Bosworth

Dejah Watts

* Dance Captain

+ Rosenstein Scholars

Robert Baldwin, Conductor

Robert J. Seebacher, Assistant Conductor

Violin

Julie Lastinger (Concertmaster)

Charles Lockhart

Edgar Querales

Julie Foster

Sarah Padgett

Dory Gal

Tess Nelson

Viola

Elizabeth Jones

Lubitza Hershberger

Reza Rahmati

Cello

Katheryn Fister

Rebecca Price

Bass

Danny Cecil

Flute

Katie Campbell

Oboe

Emily Maxey

Clarinet

Alexander Malone

Alto Saxophone

Jimmy O’Donnell

Trumpet

Jonathan Stites

Horn

Robert J. Seebacher

Tenor Trombone

Kai Miller

Bass Trombone

Colby Norton

Drum Set

Matthew J. Skaggs

Piano

Tedrin Blair Lindsay

Nan McSwain

Producer / Music Director
Everett McCorvey

Program Coordinator
Megh Jennings-Posner

Production Manager
Aaron Bowling

Director
Peggy Stamps

Choreographer
Grady Bowman

Production Stage Manager
Megh Jennings-Posner

Conductor
Robert Baldwin

Composer/Arranger
Johnie Dean

Associate Music Director
Tedrin Blair Lindsay

Assistant Music Director
Nan McSwain

Scenic Designer
Robert Pickering

Propsmaster
Aaron Bowling

Costumer Coordinator
Mary Kate Knight

Lighting Designer
Tanya Harper

Sound Designer
John Mark Vanderpool

Technical Director
Aaron Bowling

Assistant Conductor
Robert Seebacher

Assistant Stage Managers
Madeline Butler, Ayden Sharp

Assistant Lighting Designer
Daniel Bowling

Production Assistant
Michael Daniels

Scenic Carpenters
Troy Kleffman, Johnny Hines, Eddie Vanoy, George Haggard, J. Scott Sherman

UK Costume Stock Specialist
Andrea Richardson

UK Costume Studio Manager
LISA WILSON

UK Costume Cutter / Draper
Natalie Maynard

Stitchers
Sofia Ricketts, Margaret Veillon

Wardrobe Run Crew
Logan Benton, Susie Manning, Sofia Ricketts, Michael Daniels, Sydney Willis

Deck Audio
Adam Schoedinger

Spot Operators
Daniel Bowling, Lynda Matusek, JP Moore

This production is sponsored in part by:

Alltech

Vincent Lighting Systems

Studio 46

Bryant's Rent-All

WKYT

Robert Rosenstein & Dr. Kim Clawson

Ben and Janet Kaufman

Ann Bakhaus and Family

Bill and Connie Collis

Ann and Ralph Mason

Robert Rosenstein and Dr. Kim Clawson

Rosenstein Scholars

OperaLex

Terry & Gail Bryant

Dr. Michael Morrill

Ouita Michaels

UK Summer Support Staff