Extraordinary vocalist and entertainer brings a distinctly fresh & authentic rendition of Judy Garland's songbook to BLU in an exciting cabaret-style show! Featuring Joan Ellison, Jason Aquila.
In this cabaret-style concert, Joan Ellison shines a spotlight on the musical and personal life of Judy Garland from her star turns in Meet Me in St. Louis and Easter Parade, to the termination of her contract at MGM, to her dramatic comeback as a concert artist and triumphant return to the big screen in A Star Is Born. Between "The Boy Next Door" in 1944 and "The Man That Got Away" in 1954, the hit tunes performed in authentic arrangements based on the originals include "I Love a Piano," "Johnny One-Note," "Get Happy," "Last Night When We Were Young," "The Trolley Song," and "Over the Rainbow."
Joan Ellison has been praised for her "vocal prowess....[and] organic grasp of the classic songs" by Michael Feinstein, and “possess[ing] a crystalline voice that never stops” (Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer). She has been performing Garland tunes with symphony orchestras in All Happiness, Judy Garland and in theaters with Love Finds Judy Garland for several years, but the February ’16 TheatreZone (Naples, Florida) production of The Boy From Oz marks the first time she has ever actually played Judy. She made her Cleveland Pops Orchestra debut at Severance Hall in 2005 and has since sung more than 30 concerts with the Pops, Erie Philharmonic, Wheaton and Lakeside Symphonies, and others in repertoire ranging from The King & I to Wicked. Her critically-acclaimed album, “Retrophonic Gershwin” (2015), mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Robert Friedrich, is available on iTunes. In addition to touring with Love Finds....and Gershwin On the Air, regional theatre credits include Julie in Carousel, Nellie in South Pacific, Lizzie in 110 in the Shade, Eliza in My Fair Lady (in-concert), and Claudia in Nine. An Oberlin Conservatory graduate, she teaches popular voice at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the CWRU/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program.
Join us at BLU Jazz+ as we present this wonderfully talented duo in a very spirited throwback tribute to the legendary Judy Garland! The show runs from 8PM - 9:45PM with a brief intermission. Don't miss out, get your tickets today!