AN EVENING AT THE WHITNEY WITH RON RAMSAY AND SAMANTHA TALORA & SPECIAL GUESTS

I had the pleasure of catching Samantha Talora & Ron Ramsay with Special Guest Michael Gillespie featuring the Brightest Young Talent of the Berkshires on Saturday, September 20th at the Whitney Center for the Performing Arts.

                                     
There was quite a crowd when I arrived, the people engaged in friendly conversation as waitstaff came around to take orders for wine and morsels to nibble on during the show.  Ghazi Khami greeting guests as we all prepared ourselves for a highly anticipated evening of Show Tunes from Oliver, Bye, Bye Birdie, Follies, Charlie Brown and The Secret Garden.


                                   

Ron Ramsey, Music Director at the Whitney Center for the Arts as well as St. Ann's Church in Lenox, MA. and  Samantha Talora, a local singer,  did a wonderful job entertaining the  guests with their banter.  The addition of    Michael Gillespie on Sax and Flute, Hannah Morley,15, Allysa Morley, 13, along with Maxine Leger, 12 and Lelia Gillespie 8, were a wonderful combination for a great evening at the Whit!

Sam and Ron have a great energy both musically and socially ~ and did a great job of engaging the audience throughout the evening.  They began the evening with "Something's Coming" and broke into "Isn't It Romantic".

Once we were warmed up a bit Michael Gillespie joined them on Sax for an awesome rendition of Alright, Okay, You Win, which was my all time favorite of the evening.  Alyssa and Maxine hit the stage with both feet with a very theatrical duet, followed by Samantha doing a beautiful ballad "I Think It is Going to Rain Today".

I was absolutely blown away when 8 year old Lelia Gillespie, daughter of Michael, the Sax/Flute player came out, just a head higher than the piano to perform "The Girl I Mean to Be" from the Secret Garden.  She sang like an angel, engaged the entire room and was rewarded with a soda for a job well done at the end of the evening.

The evening continued to be a wonderful way to spend a night the finale was amazing with everyone joining in with "Consider Yourself" from Oliver.  Following the performance delicious cake was served to the audience and I caught up with the amazing guest performers.

Hannah, Maxime, Allysa and Lelia, guest performers at the Whitney Center for Performing Arts

Sisters Allysa and Hannah Morley  have been singing together for six years. Maxime Leger  has been singing with the sisters in the Church Choir at St. Anne's Church for a number of years.  Lelia Gillespie, daughter of Michael (Sax and Flute), has a wonderful time singing as well as is evident by the twinkle in her eye and the smile on her face!

It delights me to see the Whitney Center for the Performing Arts benefiting our community through Art and Music by bringing such a diverse range of Talent to our attention.  I look forward to seeing future Musical Events at the Whitney as each one unfolds.

The Whitney Center For the Arts is located at 42 Wendell Avenue in Pittsfield and I recommend you make your reservations early to ensure a seat for these very entertaining events!  Hope to see you there!