Spotlight : A toast to Bing, 30 years later
Today is the 30th anniversary of Bing Crosby’s death, which makes it a fitting time to do a roundup of Bing-related news in and around Spokane:
“The Bing Crosby Theater is planning another Bing film festival on Dec. 7. Look for details to come.
“A new, official Bing Web site launches today at www.BingCrosby.com.
“The BBC is preparing a radio documentary on Crosby’s life, which will include plenty of Spokane material. It’s scheduled for airing in November or December.
We’ll leave you with Bing’s last words, uttered just before his heart attack near the 18th green of a golf course in Madrid: “That was a great game of golf, fellas.”
‘In the Mood’
Speaking of Der Bingle, the Bing Crosby Theater will host a national touring show, “In the Mood,” featuring the music of Crosby’s generation, Oct. 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. each night.
Think Andrews Sisters and Glenn Miller tunes.
This retro concert, harking back to the 1940s, features the String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra along with costumed singers and dancers. The show has been touring the country since 1994.
Much of the music was arranged by Vic Schoen, who, fittingly enough, arranged many of Bing’s songs.
Tickets range from $29.50 to $49.50, through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
A folk-singing Rush
Fresh on the heels of the Chad Mitchell Trio-Tom Paxton folk reunion last weekend in Spokane, another famous folk-singing Tom is coming to the Panida Theater in Sandpoint: Tom Rush.
Rush, best known for his song “No Regrets,” was one of the key figures in the singer-songwriter movement of the late ‘60s.
His show will be Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the Pend Oreille Arts Council office, (208) 263-6139, or at www.ArtinSandpoint.org.
Drum-off winner
Spokane drummer Mike Miller won the Guitar Center Spokane Drum-Off on Oct. 3 and now he’s moving on to the district finals in Seattle on Oct. 24.
Miller made it through a preliminary round in order to win the in-store competition over five other finalists. He has already received about $450 in merchandise.
Heidi Melton’s voice
Heidi Melton, a 2000 Ferris High School grad, is making a splash in the opera world.
The San Francisco Chronicle praised her “rich, lustrous voice” and said she “commanded the stage” as Elvira in “Ernani.” A critic for San Francisco Classical Voice praised her “powerful voice” in a recent role in the San Francisco Opera’s “Der Rosenkavalier.”
Next up for this young soprano: roles with the Opera Company of Philadelphia and France’s L’Opera de Bordeaux. She is also lined up for more roles with the San Francisco Opera, where she is an Adler Fellow.
A ‘Metropolis’ score
Here’s an event combining music with classic cinema: Cellist-composer Gideon Freudmann will perform his soundtrack to the 1927 Fritz Lang silent movie “Metropolis,” live on stage at the Bing Crosby Theater, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m.
Freudmann will play on electric cello, augmented with “real-time electronic effects,” while this futuristic classic unspools.
This is an advance presentation of the Spokane International Film Festival, which takes place in February.
Tickets will be $17 at the door. Tickets for students with ID will be $9.
A Jim Boyd NAMMY
Jim Boyd, Spokane’s well-known singer-songwriter, has won another Native American Music Award (NAMMY) – this one for Best Video/DVD, for his song “Inchelium.”
Boyd needs a lot of shelf space for his NAMMY awards. He’s won five others in previous years, including two for Record of the Year.
The video was directed and shot by Spokane filmmaker Bryce Woodworth.
A Haran Irish ‘Harvest’
The Haran Irish Dancers, the internationally known Celtic dance troupe from the Inland Northwest, will present their show “Celtic Harvest” on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Bing Crosby Theater.
Two Irish-themed “dance dramas” will be included in the show. The Celtic Nots will provide the music.
Tickets are $15, through TicketsWest.
‘Laramie’ in Cheney
“The Laramie Project,” a powerful play based on the murder of a gay college student in Wyoming, continues at Cheney City Hall Auditorium, 609 Second St., today at 3 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Oct. 21 at 3 p.m.
This is a StageWest Community Theatre production, directed by Charles Kenfield, and is not recommended for children. Tickets are $10, available by calling (509) 235-4575.