Philharmonic Chorale will sing love songs
Love songs will be in the air Friday and Saturday evenings at Belleville Philharmonic Hall when the Philharmonic Chorale performs.
“It will be music that symbolizes the spirit of love, different aspects of love, an enjoyable evening of celebrating Valentine’s Day,” said Robert Charles Howard, who conducts the chorale. “A lot of the music is from Broadway, including ‘My Funny Valentine,’ (from ‘Babes in Arms’), ‘Almost Like Being in Love’ from ‘Brigadoon’ and a ‘Guys and Dolls’ medley.”
A couple of the pieces are tributes to family members. Barbara Compton will sing “As Time Goes By,” which was her father Ted Gundlach’s favorite.
The mix of fast and slow songs will include “Shenandoah,” a folk song in which the singer reminisces about going back to the area where he courted a young woman. “If Ever I Would Leave You” is the romantic ballad from “Camelot.” In the “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” duet, they talk around their relationship.
“Some are a little bit comical,” Howard said. “One of my favorites is ‘Adelaide’s Lament’ (from ‘Guys and Dolls’). She gets a bad, bad cold from a lack of having a ring around her finger.
“My wife and I are singing a duet, ‘Love Is Here to Stay.’”
And it is.
Howard met his wife, Robin, when he was teaching at Meramec Community College in St. Louis.
“We were working together in choral music,” he said.
They’ve been married 28 years.
“She helps me and sings beautifully.”
His favorite song?
“The one we are singing at the moment.”
Guests will sit at tables of four. Cheesecake, wine, coffee or tea will be available at intermission. Tickets are $18 for adults; $15 for seniors or military; and $10 for students. Please make reservations as soon as possible at 618 235-5600. Leave your name, phone number, number in you party and which evening you will attend. The hall is at 116 N. Jackson St. in Belleville.
Run for the Chocolate
Do you like running — or walking fast — and chocolate?
You may want to sign up for Saturday’s Run for the Chocolate! in St. Louis. The race begins at 9 a.m.
The 5K fun run through St. Louis streets is for couples and singles alike. The chocolate is from Bissinger’s, 1600 N. Broadway, where the race begins. Runners wind through the historic Old North Broadway area and alongside the muddy Mississippi River. Timing will be provided by Big River Race Management.
For your efforts, you will receive a short-sleeve logo T-shirt. Finishers get a Run for the Chocolate! goody bag, a Bissinger’s chocolate heart lollipop, post-race hot chocolate and chocolate fondue.
Register and pay individually, selecting the proper team name. Here’s how it works: You will be categorized, scored and identified by your age and relationship status. During registration, you will identify as one of the following: On the Market (bachelors, bachelorettes, cougars 40 plus, manthers 40 plus); Off the Market (taken); Happy Couples (two-person team); and It’s Complicated (3-person team).
You can sign up online at http://runforthechocolate.com/registration/ until race day. Cost is $35 per person; $40 on race day.
Here’s “Proof”
“Proof” opens Wednesday, Feb. 17, at SIUE’s Dunham Hall Theater.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony-winning play is about a troubled young woman who has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Now, after his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions, the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire, and the attentions of a former student of her father’s. Over a long weekend, she also confronts the most difficult problem: How much of her father’s madness — or genius — will she inherit?
Peter Cocuzza, professor of performance in SIUE’s Theater & Dance Department, directs the production that stars SIUE students Gerry Butler, Frankie Ferrari, Olivia Foort and special guest Mark Bacus.
Proof performances will be 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb.17, through Saturday, Feb. 20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21.
Tickets, which are general admission, cost $12 for adults (18 and older) and $10 for seniors (65 and up), non-SIUE students and all SIUE retirees, alumni, faculty and staff. SIUE students get free admission with a valid school ID. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more.
For tickets or information, call 618 650-2774, ext. 2774, or visit the website www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/theater.
This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 5:48 AM with the headline "Philharmonic Chorale will sing love songs."