by dick kerekes dickkerekes@yahoo.com
Recently I took a busman’s holiday. I went to a concert not as reviewer as I do for theatre productions, but just as a regular audience member. The occasion was held at the Unitarian Church in Arlington and was three fold.
The primary reason was a fundraiser for the Arlington Food Bank. It was also a celebration of two special events of this church. The l00 year of the arrival of the Unitarian Church to the city of Jacksonville and the 40th Anniversary of the building which is the home of the church.
This church had the musical group known as Bella Voce in concert in the past and they were well received so they were invited back. I had never heard them perform, although I was familiar with the name.
The Bella Voce (which means beautiful voice in Italian) is a cast of professional vocal artists who perform musical classics from Opera to Broadway and everything in between. They perform from Savannah to Key West for a variety of clients. From something as small as a special birthday party, to large corporate meetings, they have a vast array of songs in their repertory, and are willing to learn new material as needed or desired by their customers.
There are eleven members in the group, lead by Jim Goodell, the founder and producer who started this wonderful concept three years ago. For the Unitarian program, four singers were present in addition to the musical director and pianist, the very much in demand Bill Fuller.
Having Bella Voce sing at your function, is very much like planning a buffet, you select what you want on the table for the evening. The performance I saw had songs that covered the history of music from l906 to present day.
Two of the four singers, I had heard several times in community theatre productions. Erin Barnes is a JU graduate with a degree in music. I recall her from Players by the Sea in The Piano Bar and Side by Side by Sondheim.”
Randall Adkison just finished a very successful run “The Fantasticks” with Orange Park Community Theatre. He has also done a number of shows at the Alhambra. I am proud to say I saw Mr. Adkison in the multi-million dollar Orlando production of “Ben –Hur’ the Musical”.
Rhonda Nus Tinnin has only lived in Jacksonville for one year. She brings impressive credits with performances in New York, Boston, Seattle and Denver doing both operatic and non-operatic songs. Her husband is a professor at UNF, which is why we have this talented voice to enjoy in Jacksonville now.
How low will Jim Goodell go to sing a song? Well, he sang “Old Man River,” and believe me, his deep deep rich bass voice was at the bottom of the river. He also sang “The Impossible Dream”, and just those two songs were very inspiring.
I can’t recall all the songs, because honestly I wasn’t taking notes but the selection was vast, from Cole Porter to Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Part of the enjoyment of being a critic, is being able to spread the word about a good thing and make more and more people aware of all the excellent shows that are available in live theater in the North Florida area. Bella Voce is an entrainment experience like no other, so if you have the opportunity to see and hear them, do it, you will be glad that you did.
Everybody was a winner on that special evening. The Unitarian Church celebrated their anniversary in style, the Arlington Food Bank received much-needed funds, and the audience walked out smiling and singing.
Need one vocal artist, or need a dozen? Need an hour or a day of music? Check out Bell Voce at www.BellaVocecabaret.com or all 904-223-9840.
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