Tue

2/14/2012

8:00pm

Cabaret

The Broadway We Love

A Valentine's Day Melange of Broadway Music Spanning 7 Decades

Sold Out

• $30 Assigned Rows 1-2
• $20 Assigned Rows 3-5
• $15 General Admission
• $10 Student

• Aaron Sanko, tenor
• Brian E. Buckner, music director/piano
• Jesse Kramer, percussion
• Joe Fee, bass

Event Details

Join us for a rapturous Valentine's evening of Broadway music spanning from the 1940s to today! Proceeds benefit the Neutral Zone, a teen center in Ann Arbor focused on the promotion of artistry and leadership in teens. 

This event is sponsored by:

            

     

      

    

      

Aaron Sanko

Critically acclaimed tenor Aaron L. Sanko recently appeared as Beppe in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci before making his début with Manhattan Lyric Opera as Señor Cascada in Lehar’s The Merry Widow. In 2008 Mr. Sanko débuted with the Jefferson Performing Arts Society as Goro in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. He recently covered the roles of Mont Cuigy and Capucin in the world-première of David DiChiera’s opera, Cyrano, at Michigan Opera Theatre before making his début with Opera New Jersey as Gastone in Verdi’s La Traviata. He returned to Opera New Jersey in 2009 to cover the roles of Dr. Blind and Frosch in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. For the 2008 season Mr. Sanko served as an Apprentice Artist for Michigan Opera Theatre singing Gobin in Puccini’s La Rondine, and Il Notaro in Bellini’s La Sonnambula under the direction of the world-famous Renata Scotto and Richard Bonynge. Further professional opera credits include roles in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Humperdink’s Hänsel und Gretel with Toledo Opera.

Mr. Sanko also frequents musical theatre, oratorio and recital stages throughout the United States. He originated the role of Dak in the world-première of The Key, an original musicalby Cindi Rosner Kelley in 2010. He was also seen in The Encore Musical Theatre's 2011 production of It's a Wonderful Life.Some of his solo oratorio credits include Bach’s B-minor Mass, Britten’s Choral Dances of Gloriana, Händel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F and Schubert’s Mass in G-major. In June 2006 he performed the cantata Liberation by Meier Finkelstein with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Vanguard Singers. Mr. Sanko has also produced and performed in numerous recitals, including a complete performance of Schubert’s signature song cycle, Die Schöne Müllerin, as a benefit for the Detroit Public Library. This led to another command performance of the cycle in March 2008 at the Kerrytown Concert House. Also in the spring of 2008, he sang the world-première of the song cycle Presumptions of Death written for Mr. Sanko by young American composer K. Alexander Cronin.

Mr. Sanko received his undergraduate training in Voice Performance and Music Education from the esteemed Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, after graduating from the world-renowned Interlochen Arts Academy (IAA). While at IAA Mr. Sanko featured in such roles as Linfea in Cavalli’s La Calisto and Jaquino in Beethoven’s Fidelio. Mr. Sanko’s career at Eastman included performances in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd with the Eastman Opera Theatre and as a soloist with the Eastman Repertory Singers, Eastman Chorale, and Eastman Philharmonia.

Brian E. Buckner

Brian E. Buckner is an active pianist and musical director based in the Ann Arbor area. Having recently returned from a tour in China where he performed "Give Me The Simple Life", a cabaret for which he served as musical director/arranger/pianist, Buckner is proud to be a part of this wonderful evening for such a deserving cause! In addition to being composer/arranger for Fetching Rubies, an up-and-coming local pop singing group, other recent musical direction credits include Oklahoma, Footloose, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Curtains, Nevermore, Forever Plaid, The Light In The Piazza, and The Last Five Years.

Jesse Kramer

One of the most promising young drummers in Metro Detroit, Jesse Kramer has already performed at jazz clubs, theaters, and festivals with some of the top local and national jazz musicians.  Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Mr. Kramer studied with local jazz masters such as saxophonist Vincent York (former member of the Ellington Orchestra) and drummer Sean Dobbins.  While still in high school, he was awarded a Downbeat Magazine Student Music Award for best group, and his trio performed at the Detroit Jazz Festival.  Mr. Kramer's career has blossomed from there. 

Jesse has shared stages with notable artists such as Paul Keller, Vincent York, Ellen Rowe, Vincent Chandler, Andrew Bishop, Barbara Morrison, Anat Cohen, Dwight Adams, Jeff Marx, Claude Black, and Tim Ries, just to name a few. He performs regularly in Detroit and Ann Arbor, and has quickly become a first-call drummer for many established jazz artists/groups in the area.  Jesse has performed at jazz clubs such as the historic Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, Cliff Bell’s, the Dirty Dog Cafe, the Jazz Cafe at Music Hall, Murphy’s Place, the Firefly Club, as well as some of Ann Arbor and Detroit’s premiere music halls such as Hill Auditorium, Power Center, Orchestra Hall, and The Majestic.

Mr. Kramer's drumming combines the raw aggression and Afro-Cuban rhythms of Elvin Jones and Jeff “Tain” Watts, with the creative phrasing and melodicism of Max Roach and Tony Williams.  His music is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition but with a fresh and modern approach.   His versatility allows him to play traditional jazz, avant-garde, bebop, funk, fusion, hip hop, and everything in between, all while keeping his unique voice.  With a sound that is creative, emotional, spiritual, and always swinging, Jesse will be an important figure in the jazz scene for years to come.

Joe Fee

Originally hailing from Wisconsin, bassist Joe Fee is currently a Junior at the University of Michigan, majoring in Jazz and Contemplative Studies and studying with the legendary Professor Robert Hurst. He can be seen playing at major Jazz venues in the greater Ann Arbor area with a variety of groups including Quartex, the house band at Canterbury House performing every Sunday night for the weekly Jazz Mass.