Little lady, big voice, big heart. That’s Stephanie Petkanas. Put her together with a rhythm section on classics like “My Romance,” “Misty,” and “Moonlight in Vermont,” and you have a perfect Valentine’s Day entertainment: Friends of Music at Guilford’s “Love Songs from the Great American Songbook,” this Sunday, February 14, at 4:00 in the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro.
Stephanie’s credits include cabaret and jazz clubs in New York City and Vermont, as well as roles in productions of “Mame,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Brigadoon.” She’s appeared locally in the revues “Lights Up Broadway” for Vermont Theatre Company and FOMAG’s “Places, Please!” Last summer her evening of Harold Arlen songs for Wilmington’s Memorial Hall series drew cheers from a capacity crowd. “An audience fires me up,” says Stephanie. “I can't resist getting out there to mingle with them, and even bring people up on stage so we can enjoy the music together.”
“What else do you do on Valentine’s Day except sing love songs?” she asks, with typical exuberance. Leaving that question unanswered, she continues, “We’ve chosen some of the loveliest ones. ‘My Romance’ by Rodgers and Hart is my all-time favorite, though Errol Garner’s ‘Misty’ comes close. Then we’ve filled our plate with songs by the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer and Jimmy Van Heusen, Jule Styne, Fats Waller, and Dave Frishberg. Some are tender, some funny, and all just beautiful. Most of them are familiar, but there will be a few delightful surprises, too.”
The “we” Stephanie refers to include the other two-thirds of her trio, Phyllis Isaacson on piano and George Adair on bass. They share her enthusiasm for the great popular standards. Phyllis is active as a pianist, conductor, and producer of concerts in both classical and jazz idioms. Last season she was music director for the Main Street Arts production of “The Sorcerer.” For FOMAG she has conducted opera and choral programs, and was pianist in all three of its revues, “Showing Off,” “Going On,” and Places, Please!” She worked with Stephanie on the Arlen program at Memorial Hall, as did bassist Adair. George, AKA “Jumpin’ Jersey,” has played in pit orchestras in the New York area and in clubs, resorts, and theaters in major cities across the U.S. Since settling in Vermont in 1980, he has appeared both onstage in acting roles and in the pit with Main Street Arts, Vermont Theatre Company, and FOMAG, among other groups.
“Love Songs from the Great American Songbook” will be performed cabaret style, with a mix of concert café table seating and an area for dancing. Tickets are $15 at the door and include complimentary Vermont cheeses, fruit, chocolates, desserts, and a variety of hot and cold beverages. Wines and beers from Windham Wines will be offered at a cash bar.
Proceeds from this program will benefit FOMAG's Senior Concert Series, which is partially funded by Successful Aging grants from the Council on Aging of Southeastern Vermont. Last year the series brought nearly two dozen musical performances to activity centers and rehabilitation or residential facilities for elders in Windham County. For further information, call the FOMAG office at 802-254-3600, email office@fomag.org, or visit www.fomag.org.