Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

The Jazz at Memo series at Memorial Hall (@memorialhallotr) continued to ring in the Christmas season with a fun and varied program by Queen City Cabaret (@qcccincy) of songs honoring the life and career of Rosemary Clooney. Focusing primarily on the Christmas albums Clooney recorded, principal artists Sarah Folsom (@sarahafolsom) and Matthew Umphreys (@matthewumphreys) gave tender, lighthearted, bouncy and introspective performances of songs such as Tenderly, White Christmas, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, and The Christmas Song. Bon-Christmas selections which rounded out the evening included Hey There/Blues in the Night, Mambo Italiano, Come On-a My House, Sisters, and This Old House. On the latter two songs, Folsom and Umpheies were joined, respectively, by guest vocalists Sarah Mackie and Byron Folsom (an accomplished southern gospel and country singer who also happens to be Sarah’s father).
An appreciative audience at Memorial Hall’s Anderson Theater were captivated by Folsom’s golden, honey-toned voice and Umphreys’ elegant and swinging piano accompaniment. As many of the audience members were likely hearing Queen City Cabaret for the first time, it gives me hope that their performances will help reach a wider audience in Cincinnati.
Eagerly looking forward to their appearance with @vaecinci on December 16 at @christchurchcathedralcincy