What a fantastic show Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra put on Friday night at Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers. I was honored to welcome a packed house and open the show. In addition, I narrated ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas with the orchestra.
It was not as easy as I thought. They did not give me a script when I arrived for dress rehearsal. They gave me a musical score. I must have skimmed over the question in the email when they asked me if I knew how to read music. I took music lessons as youngster and sang in the choir growing up. However, that was ages ago and it was nothing like looking at this orchestral score.
Mark Sanders was special guest performer at the show and made a special book for me to read from. Check out our video chat here. He talks about his performance, his Broadway tours and his Barry Manilow show called One Voice. I couldn’t wait to hear him sing and I tell you, he was awesome.
How did Deck The Halls go?
Considering I only went through the complete performance ONE time in dress rehearsal, it went well. I missed a few words, caught most of the cues from the conductor and my outfit matched. So I say that’s a win. I’m super impressed with Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra. Most of the members are volunteers and they are excellent musicians. They made me feel right at home during the dress rehearsal and the performance.
The orchestra has another show coming up and I have more tickets to give away so you can see them live. This time it is for The Nutcracker Ballet. The dancers are from Gulfshore Ballet. This is a holiday classic. I absolutely love The Nutcracker and can’t wait to see it. The show is December 10th.
In the meantime, here are a few Deck The Halls photos and Santa too.
