SIDNEY — Duck Dynasty goes to Carnegie Hall.
That’s how some fans have described the performance of 3 Redneck Tenors, a trio that Gateway Arts Council will present, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m., in the Sidney High School Auditorium.
A limited number of tickets, at $20 each, is available at 937-498-2787 or www.gatewayartscouncil.org. AAA members get a $1 discount.
The 3 Redneck Tenors are a new breed in the “tenor genre” — their musical comedy features classically trained veteran artists and pairs down home laughs with big city music. The show was written by opera veteran Matthew Lord with music arranged by award-winning composer Craig Bohmler.
These boys have seen it all, sing it all, and make audiences laugh ‘til they’re doubled over, reminding everyone that in life, it is not just the destination, it’s the journey. The tenors delight audiences with their vocal prowess and a smorgasbord of songs and music ranging from gospel to country to Broadway, pop and classical. It’s one side-splitting ride.
Follow Billy Bob, Billy Joe, and Billy Billee in a mixing of musical genres and clashing cultures for a delightful and unique production. The two-hour show details the Billys’ rise to stardom. The story begins at the three tenors’ humble abode in a Paris, Texas, trailer park. When the bumpkins are discovered by a fancy city agent, they are torn from their backwoods roots and shepherded around several unorthodox venues, like bowling alleys, gun stores and a dusty gravel road. The show is a perfect mixture of humor and melodious harmonies, all of which is appropriate for children, so the performance will delight the whole family.
Before donning their mullet wigs in Branson, the 3 Redneck Tenors were finalists on “America’s Got Talent,” and Broadway and opera stars in their own respects.
Matthew Lord has performed with almost every major opera house in the U.S., including San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Houston Opera, Washington Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, Tulsa Opera and the New York Metropolitan Opera. Prolific in all kinds of music, Lord also performed in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Phantom of the Opera” as Piangi in the Hamburg, Germany, production. His concert appearances include engagements with the Detroit Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and Santa Fe Symphony, to name a few. He is a graduate of the prestigious Juilliard Opera Center.
Blake Davidson is an award-winning singer who has performed all over the world and whose range of experience includes opera, symphony and musical theatre. He has been presented in solo concerts at New York University, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Tokyo Opera House. Davidson has sung with the Anchorage Opera, the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, and the Florida Orchestra. Performances outside the US include New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia and the Filharmonico de Jalisco (Guadalajara, Mexico). Early in his career he was seen off-Broadway at 2nd Stage and as the ringmaster for the Shrine circus.
Jonathan Fruge holds a Bachelor of Arts in music performance and a Master of Music in vocal performance from Texas Tech University. His credits include choral performances and soloist appearances at Carnegie Hall with the New York City Chamber Orchestra, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Meyerson Center, the Texas State Capitol, two appearances at the Texas Music Educators Association convention in San Antonio, 2004 Southwest American Choral Directors Association in Little Rock, the 2005 American Choral Directors Association national convention in Los Angeles, the 2007 American Choral Masterpieces festival in Austin, the 2009 Texoma NATS featured performance in Lubbock, more than 20 featured solos with Texas Tech University Choir, Texas Tech Madrigal Singers, the Texas Tech Matador Singers, and the Lubbock Chorale. He has performed more than 20 leading roles in musical comedy.
The 3 Redneck Tenors performance is one in an annual series presented by Gateway Arts Council in Sidney. The council also mounts exhibits in its art galleries at 216 N. Miami Ave.; offers performances, classes and workshops for children; and delights area residents with its Bad Art by Good People fundraiser each year. For information, call 937-498-2787.
