Rotary Club of GR To Host "Rat Pack" New Year's Eve Benefit Gala

What happens in DeVos Performance Hall, stays in DeVos Performance Hall.

At least that’s what the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids anticipates with its Dec. 31 Vegas-inspired fundraising event, “A Rat Pack New Year’s Eve.” Sponsored in part by Meijer and Citadel Broadcasting, the annual New Year’s Eve Benefit Gala will feature a special concert by the Grand Rapids Symphony in conjunction with a themed cocktail hour and gourmet dinner.

Cocktails and swing music will kick off the evening at 5:30 p.m. in the Monroe Ballroom with a Charity Mixer and dinner provided by the 1913 Grill. Starting at 7:30 p.m. the Rat Pack is back, accompanied by the sizzling stylings of the Grand Rapids Symphony under the direction of John Varineau in DeVos Performance Hall. Guests will seriously dig on this extravaganza starring Stephen Bogardus as “Frank,” James Clow as “Dean” and Alonzo Saunders as “Sammy,” each appearing direct from Broadway, in a special concert called “A Rat Pack New Year’s Eve.”

Proceeds from this event benefit two longstanding Rotary programs: STRIVE, a mentorship program for at-risk high school seniors, and Indian Trails Camp, a summer camp for disabled individuals of all ages. The gala has raised over $260,000 every year for the past ten years. This year, Rotary is extending the festivities to benefit underserved seniors from Clark Retirement Community and at-risk youth from St. Johns Home. For every donation of $25 or more, Rotary will send one senior or youth to “A Rat Pack New Year’s Eve” symphony concert. Those interested in sponsoring a concertgoer can email Coleen Downey at coleen@grrotary.org.

Dinner tickets are priced at $50 per person and concert tickets range from $18 to $90 per person. Tickets for both portions of the event can be purchased online at www.grsymphony.org. For more information, visit www.grrotary.org or call (616) 459-5640

Come see the amazing dancers of Riverdance!

An innovative and exciting blend of dance, music and song, RIVERDANCE draws on Irish traditions and the combined talents of the performers propel Irish dancing and music to the present day capturing the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures. This extraordinarily unique show features an international company all performing to the magic of Bill Whelan’s music.

James Taylor Announces Tour Dates; Coming To DeVos Performance Hall

Starting February 26, 2011, James Taylor will be kicking off a series of unforgettable and intimate shows across America with special guest Ben Taylor. Ten days later, Taylor & Band perform on the DeVos Performance Hall stage in Grand Rapids on March 8th at 7:30PM.

Joining Taylor for the first time ever will be special guest, singer/songwriter, Ben Taylor. Taylor is going back on the road to embark on a whole other kind of adventure. This is your chance to see James Taylor in an intimate theater setting with very special guest, his son Ben Taylor!

Tickets are $45, $75 and $99.50. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 10 at 10AM and can be purchased at the DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena box offices, by calling Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000 or order online at ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster outlets, including D&W Stores and select Family Fare locations.

Over the course of his long career, James Taylor has earned 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards and five Grammy Awards for a catalog running from 1970's Sweet Baby James to his Grammy Award-winning efforts Hourglass (1997) and October Road (2002). Taylor's first Greatest Hits album earned him the RIAA's elite Diamond Award, given for sales in excess of 10 million units in the United States. As a recording and touring artist, James set a precedent for solo singer/songwriters and blazed a path to which countless numbers of earnest young musicians have since aspired. His warm baritone is among the most recognized voices in popular music and his guitar playing has established its own standard.

James Taylor is one of the few artists to ever have a US Billboard Top 10 album in each of the last five decades from 1970’s “Sweet Baby James” to 2010’s “Carole King/James Taylor: Live at the Troubadour.” Taylor’s musical contributions have earned him a place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as a place on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of “The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

Church Girl: The Musical Coming in February!

Urban theatre enthusiasts around Grand Rapids are all abuzz about the highly anticipated arrival of Church Girl. This provocative yet profound musical stage play, based on actual true stories and testimonies, was written and produced by Angela Barrow-Dunlap and directed by Reuben Yabuku.

Church Girl tells the story of Emily Franklin, the seemingly wholesome daughter of a prominent pastor, who is seduced by the charms of a worldly life. Emily is hiding a very shocking secret and like all things evil, it is festering. Emily has been working diligently to cover up the dark choices she has made, but when her secret is exposed, events take a dramatic turn and skeletons coming crashing out of her closet. Everyone wants to know what could push a quintessential church girl to turn her back on everything she has been taught.

Church Girl infuses the magic of phenomenal music, a cast of colorful characters, and amazing dance performances to take audiences on an unforgettable ride through the pains and pleasures of tasting the "forbidden fruit" to the ultimate height of redemption.

Church Girl: The Musical will be at DeVos Performance Hall on February 14th, 2011 at 7:30pm.

Tickets on sale now at Ticketmaster(http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/08004563E7D9414B?artistid=1473175&majorcatid=10002&minorcatid=207) or the box office!

Need a gift idea for family and friends?

Take a look at Joe Bonamassa. He will be performing, one night only, at DeVos Performance Hall on March 21st, 2011 at 8pm.

This is a performance from the Crossroads Guitar Festival at Toyota Park near Chicago June 26, 2010.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hda3tws3Wy8&feature=related