Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

@qcccincy presented its holiday program A Cozy Christmas at @thecarnegie featuring many of the most well-known Christmas songs to come from the 1940s and ‘50s along with some lesser known tunes that many people might have heard for the first time this evening.
Using a format modeled on the Christmas special which was part of The Judy Garland Show on television in 1963, complete with a full set and lighting design, the concert was built around the theme of a holiday party in which Sarah Folsom and Matthew Umphries invited some of their best musical friends to come together.
Standout songs from the show included two gorgeous solos from tenor Avery Bargasse (@averybargasse), the Tony Velona melody Lollipops and Roses and a medley of I’ll Be Home for Christmas and the Carole King song So Far Away. Victoria Okafor, known for being an accomplished soprano soloist, got to display the jazzier side of her vocal talents in tunes like Happy Days Are Here Again and You Meet the Nicest People. Folsom brought her own magic to songs which have been a mainstay of Queen City Cabaret, such as I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm and Sleep Well, Little Children.
Perhaps the sweetest moments of the night were the appearance of Folsom’s parents Byron and Penny (an accomplished singer and pianist, respectively) to perform Christmas favorites such as Do You Hear and a duet arrangement of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. QCC has also proven to be an amazing training ground for rising new talent from the theater department @uc_ccm, demonstrated through current students Annika Jonker and JT Langlas in tunes such as Boogie Woogie Santa Claus and The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing. The level of talent shone from these two as singers and dancers is proof that the theater scene locally and nationally will continue to grow with amazing, vibrant and fresh faces year after year. A sextet of carolers from @ypccsing brought Christmas cheer to conclude the program with a performance of Jocelyn Hagen’s mixed-meter arrangement of Deck the Halls.
All in all, one of the most inventive and enjoyable Christmas concerts from @qcccincy in years, and one which will be remembered for years to come.