PEORIA, IL - The Heartland Festival Orchestra's Feb. 5 concert featured Broadway and pop songs sung by two extraordinary performers, both Illinois natives.
The show, termed A Heartland Homecoming, took place at the recently remodeled Scottish Rite Theater, now a modernized venue with an intimate feel. The performers were Jodi Benson of Rockford, an experienced Broadway performer and Victor Solomon, a young singer from Peoria, still a college student, who made the finals of the TV show The Voice last year.
They both introduced their families in the audience and talked about their music and careers.
Benson, a fabulous performer, has a huge voice and knows how to sell a song. Solomon also has a huge voice, and likely a promising career in music. Benson joked that Solomon is the age of her children so they wouldn't be doing any romantic duets. But they did sing a couple of duets, "Beauty & the Beast," "Under the Sea," and an encore.
The orchestra provided the rich background for the singers and played overtures as well as "Seventy-Six Trombones" from The Music Man.
This was a terrific concert and the audience loved it. The show tunes ranged from Gershwin to Andrew Lloyd Webber, but alas no Sondheim. Oh well, next year for that.
-- Elaine Hopkins
Comments