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Music by the Lake
the Sounds of Summer
Music by the Lake returns with variety of acts
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The popular outdoor summer music series – Music by the Lake – returns to shore of Geneva Lake in Williams Bay in July after a one-year absence.
The Fero Pavilion at George Williams College of Aurora University in Williams Bay will host four shows in July and August. The season will extend into September this year with two free Sundays at 4 performances.
Music by the Lake performances include a capella group Straight No Chaser on July 25, the Chicago Philharmonic with A Salute to the Rat Pack on Aug. 8, Irish tenor Ronan Tynan on Aug. 22 and the Bacon Brothers on Aug. 29.
Tickets, with varied prices, are available online at musicbythelake.com. They may also be purchased over the phone Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 262-245-8501. Any remaining tickets will be sold at Fero Pavilion immediately prior to each show.
Reserved Dress Circle and Orchestra seats are located under the pavilion while general admission Terrace seats and lawn seats are uncovered. Concertgoers who use lawn seats typically bring blankets or lawn chairs.
Free parking and shuttle service is available at Williams Bay High School located at 500 West Geneva St., Williams Bay.
The two September events in the Sundays at 4 series include the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra on Sept. 12 and a tribute to humorist Erma Bombeck on Sept. 26.
There is no charge for Sundays at 4 performances, but registration is required and may be completed by visiting musicbythelake.com.
Here’s a closer look at this year’s performers thanks to information provided by Aurora University.
Straight No Chaser
Sunday, July 25, 4 p.m.
Tickets: Dress Circle $85; Orchestra $70; Terrace $45, Lawn $30
Straight No Chaser is an all-male vocal act that reinvents the idea of a cappella on the modern pop landscape, making extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental way – and with a sense of humor. They do so with nothing more than microphones in hand, grins ear-to-ear, witty banter on point, and an uncanny ability to belt out holiday staples, R&B smooth jams, and stadium anthems.
Their 2016 appearance was the third largest Music by the Lake concert in recent years.
Originally formed more than 20 years ago while students at Indiana University, the group reassembled and reemerged with album sales of 1.6 million in the U.S. alone, ticket sales of 1 million worldwide, 100 million-plus YouTube views, 100 million streams, dozens of major television performances, three PBS specials, collaborations alongside everyone from Paul McCartney and Elton John to Stevie Wonder and Kristen Bell, and a pair of gold-certified albums, Holiday Spirits and Christmas Cheers.
Chicago Philharmonic
A Salute to the Rat Pack: Frank, Dean, and Sammy Sunday, Aug. 8, 4 p.m.
Tickets: Dress Circle $75; Orchestra $60; Terrace $45; Lawn $30
The Chicago Philharmonic Society is
The Ferro Pavilion at George Williams College in Williams Bay plays host to the summer concerts series Music by the Lake.
a collaboration of nearly 200 of the highestlevel classical musicians performing in the Chicago metropolitan area. Governed under a groundbreaking structure of musician leadership, the Society presents concerts at venues throughout the Chicago area that cover the full spectrum of symphonic music. The Society’s orchestra, known simply as the Chicago Philharmonic, has been called “one of the country’s finest symphonic orchestras,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
The philharmonic, under the direction of Scott Speck will be joined in performance by A Salute to the Rat Pack: Frank, Dean, and Sammy. The tribute act – featuring Broadway veterans Sal Viviano (Frank), Nat Chandler (Dean) and Eric Jordan Young (Sammy) – celebrates the classic songs of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. With songs including “That’s Amore,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Mr. Bojangles,” “My Way,” and, “New York, New York,” this show features brand new orchestrations.
“The three guys are so talented, really capturing the style of the era and the camaraderie of those Tres Amigos! Their patter is great fun and they sing like gangbusters,” said Jerry Steichen of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra. Ronan Tynan, Irish Tenor
Sunday, Aug. 22, 4 p.m.
Tickets: Dress Circle $75; Orchestra $60; Terrace $45; Lawn $30
Ronan Tynan is known for his versatile repertoire, including operatic, oratorio, concert, and popular music genres. He first gained international attention in 1994 after having won “Go For It,” a televised singing competition in the United Kingdom.
A practicing orthopedist at the time, he continued his music training and in 1998 he became a member of The Irish Tenors, a group with whom he continues to tour with today. Tynan has appeared in concert halls across the United States and internationally, selling out numerous venues around the world. As a Sony recording artist, he has released more than 10 titles, four of which have achieved platinum status. Additionally, between 1981 and 1984, Tynan, a bilateral amputee, amassed 18 gold medals and 14 world records while participating in the Paralympics, of which he still holds nine.
He is joined by William R. Lewis, an accomplished pianist, accompanist, vocal coach, arranger, and performer. In addition to appearing regularly with Tynan in concert, he also plays for Marcello Giordano and violinist Gregory Harrington. The Bacon Brothers
Sunday, Aug. 29, 4 p.m.
Tickets: Dress Circle $85; Orchestra $70; Terrace $45; Lawn $30
Michael and Kevin Bacon — a.k.a. The Bacon Brothers — offer an ideal example
The Bacon Brothers
Ronan Tynan Salute to the Rat Pack
Straight No Chaser
398003 of what can result when two talented individuals who share the same gene pool expand their horizons, combine their talents and create an inspired sound that stands apart and wholly on its own. With 10 albums to their credit, spawned over the course of 23 years, it’s clear their band isn’t simply a sideline that supplements their day jobs. Rather, it’s an ongoing effort that’s been accompanied by commitment and creativity. Kevin is an award-winning actor with a lengthy film, stage and television resume and Michael is an Emmy-winning composer, who honed his craft as a songwriter in Nashville in the 70’s. When the two pool their talents as The Bacon Brothers, the music rings with a resilience all its own.
In their 10th album, ‘The Way We Love,’ is a series of songs that explore intimate relationships with the people and ideals that become a source of both purpose and passion. Released last summer, the album includes two tracks recorded live at Sony Hall in New York City.
Sundays at 4
Admission is free, but registration is required.
Sunday, Sept. 12, 4 p.m.
Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra:
“From Stage to Screen and Everything
Summer 2021
MUSIC BY THE LAKE EVENTS SUNDAYS AT 4 EVENTS
Sunday, July 25 | 4 p.m.
STRAIGHT NO CHASER
Sunday, August 8 | 4 p.m.
CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC
Sunday, August 22 | 4 p.m.
RONAN TYNAN, IRISH TENOR
Sunday, August 29 | 4 p.m.
THE BACON BROTHERS
Events in the Sundays at 4 series are free, but registration is required.
Sunday, September 12 | 4 p.m.
LAKE GENEVA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Sunday, September 26 | 4 p.m.
SUSAN MARIE FRONTCZAK “Erma Bombeck – By Your Side”
Purchase tickets now at musicbythelake.com or call 262-245-8501.
Artists and dates are subject to change.
in Between – A Celebration of Orchestral Music”
Now in its 21st season, the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director David Anderson and Concertmaster Lisa Gauslow, boasts talented musicians from southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. The orchestra has performed repertoire such as Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, as well as nine Beethoven symphonies over nine seasons.
For its Sundays at 4 appearance, the LGSO performs a number of lively and timeless favorites, featuring works by Andrew Lloyd Weber, Richard Rodgers, John Williams, and more. The Ferro Pavilion will be filled with the sounds of Broadway, film, television, and popular music.
Sunday, Sept. 26, 4 p.m.
Susan Marie Frontczak – “Erma
Bombeck - By Your Side” Storyteller Frontczak celebrates one of the 20th century’s most prolific writers and humorists in this one-woman presentation. For more than 25 years, Frontczak has brought literature and history to life as a scholar, playwright, and performer through over 800 presentations as Marie Curie, Mary Shelley, Irene Castle, Clara Barton, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Erma Bombeck throughout the U.S. and abroad. As a teen, Frontczak competed with her mother to see which of them could snag the monthly Good Housekeeping magazine in order to be the first to read Bombeck’s column.
“The hardest part of presenting as Erma Bombeck is choosing what to include from a seemingly endless supply of priceless material,” Frontczak said. “It is a puzzle I’m glad to take on as none of her other characters have given me so much to laugh at along the way.”
from top: As day turns to night, concert-goers take in a show during the Music by the Lake concert series on Geneva Lake in Williams Bay; Lawn seats offer a chance for concert-goers to relax on their own chair with a picnic basket while listening to the sounds of summer during the Music by the Lake series.
