13th Annual Singing for Seniors
Sunday, October 7, 2012
3:00 - 4:30 PM
The Compass Church
Map and Directions
Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael
One of cabaret's most in-demand duos, Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael return to the Singing for Seniors stage with their unique blend of whimsy, nostalgia and unquestionable talent that translates into pure entertainment. Their imaginative musical twists on jazz favorites, standards, contemporary pop, Broadway show tunes and film gems, have won them audience and critical acclaim across the country and around the globe.
Hailed by Cabaret Scenes Magazine as one of the “Top Ten Cabaret Acts,” Menzie & Michael have appeared on some of the country's most prestigious stages, including New York's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Their recording efforts have been praised by Billboard Magazine, BackStage, Show Business Weekly and Playbill and their latest CD, “Better Two-gether,” has been hailed by critics as “magic,” “sensational,” and “…the year's best recording.”
In what they call a “musical marriage,” Menzie & Michael delight audiences with their rare chemistry, inventive arrangements and genuine love for music and for one another.
Menzie's rich voice and expert piano stylings sizzle on everything from sassy swing to smoky torch songs. A three-time winner of After Dark Chicago's “Outstanding Cabaret Artist” award, Menzie is a diva-in-demand whom WGN radio has praised as “one of the city's finest performers.” Her critically-acclaimed solo CD “Real Emotional Girl” garnered national radio play and was praised by Cabaret Scenes as “one of the year's finest.”
With a voice that Billboard Magazine describes as, “…a revelation,” Michael's warm, expressive style and charismatic tenor breathes new life into cabaret standards and reveal why BackStage Magazine has called him “one of the most striking singers to emerge in the last few years.” His most current solo CD, “Written in the Stars,” received international critical praise and was named “Best CD of the Year” by ShowBusiness Weekly Magazine, After Dark Chicago and WDVR-FM radio.
Together, their playful, passionate performances produce what critics have called “sizzling,” “pure brilliance,” and “cabaret at its best!”
The Choral-Aires Chorus
The Choral-Aires Chorus is an extraordinary women's choral group, who gather together in celebration of the art of barbershop music. More than 100 women from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin sing a capella style harmony with the Choral-Aires Chorus, the 2008 Lake Michigan Region 3 Champion with Sweet Adelines International.
The Choral-Aires Chorus are under the direction of Joan Boutilier, who has held the prestigious title of master director with Sweet Adelines International. As master director, she has taken the Choral-Aires Chorus—comprised of nearly 100 women that sing four-part harmony a capella (without music)—to new heights; consistently winning regional competitions and placing in the top ten at international competitions.
Ms. Boutilier is an experienced music teacher with a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of New Mexico. She has been a member of Sweet Adelines International since 1989 and became the front-line director of the Choral-Aires Chorus in 1996. She is also an active quartet and chorus coach, offering her expertise to singers world-wide.