Holiday Magic! Mikki Sodergren and Friends Streamed Saturday, December 19, 2020 s 7:30 p.m. (available for replay until Friday, December 25 s 10 p.m.) Holiday Magic! Mikki Sodergren and Friends

Saturday, December 19 at 7:30pm - Friday, December 25 at 10:00pm ______

Presented by Bank of America and AARP Mikki Sodergren, Vocals Michael Maliakel, Vocals Nat Zegree, Piano and Vocals Leon Anderson, Drums and Bandleader Scotty Barnhart, Trumpet Rodney Jordan, Bass Christopher Minami, Guitar

White Christmas Irving Berlin

(Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag Dudley Brooks, Irving Taylor, Harold Stanley, arr. Kim Steiner

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin, arr. Kim Steiner

Believe from The Polar Express Glen Ballard, Alan Silverstri

I’ll Be Home for Christmas Kim Gannon, , arr. Robin Beauchamp

Baby It’s Cold Outside Frank Loesser

Winter Wonderland/Let It Snow Felix Bernard, Richard Smith, Jules Styne, Sammy Cahn, arr. Nat Zegree

Peanuts Medley Vince Guaraldi, arr. Nat Zegree

This Christmas Donny Hathaway, Nadine McKinnor, arr. Nat Zegree

I N T E R M I S S I O N

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town J. Fred Cootes, Haven Gillespie

Sisters from White Christmas Irving Berlin, arr. Kim Steiner

In the Bleak Midwinter Gustav Holst, arr. Darmon Meader

Imagine this Season Nat Zegree

The Prayer David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, arr. Kim Steiner

Angels We Have Heard on High from Gloria Edward Shippen, Barnes, arr. Kurt Bestor

O Holy Night Adolphe Adams, arr. Jason Weisinger

Silent Night Franz Gruber, arr. Zegree, Sodergren, Maliakel

All I Want for Christmas is You Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff, arr. Kim Steiner Guest Artists s Holiday Magic!

Recently, Mikki starred in Amarillo Opera’s monic in an outdoor concert for 15,000 The Man of La Mancha (opposite legend- people. ary screen and stage star Ron Raines and Broadway veteran Michael Farina), return- Sodergren enjoys giving back to the ing to Amarillo Opera after playing Eponine musical community, and has taken on (Les Miserables), where she was lauded as the role of Artistic Director for the having “brought that essential earthiness American Traditions Vocal Competi- and longing [to the role]”(Amarillo Globe tion in Savannah, Georgia. She hopes News). She has performed with the Jack- to use this platform to educate future sonville Symphony, the Tallahassee Sym- generations not only on the breadth of phony Orchestra, the Savannah Philhar- styles present in American music, but monic, the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, how being a stylistically versatile singer the Chamber Orchestra, and can help young performers craft a re- Mikki Sodergren has created a niche the Israeli Chamber Orchestra. Concert warding and viable professional career. for herself as a performer who can ef- engagements have ranged from Pops pro- She is so thrilled to be back in Tallahas- fortlessly glide between genres. As the grams, to major oratorio works, and world see. 2014 winner of the American Tradi- premieres. tions Vocal Competition in Savannah, www.mikkisodergren.com Georgia, she took home not only the Upcoming performances include a domes- @mikkisodergren Gold Medal, but also awards for best tic and international tour with Clarion Mu- Johnny Mercer song interpretation sic Society, and Handel’s Messiah with the and best jazz performance. Johnstown Symphony (PA). Previously, she performed with the Savannah Philhar-

self. Other recent performances include and a grant from the Gerda Lissner Georg in She Loves Me (PlayMakers Rep- Foundation. An avid ensemble singer, ertory Company), Bernstein’s MASS with Michael performs regularly with New the Chicago Symphony (Ravinia Festi- York City’s top vocal ensembles includ- val), Britten’s Curlew River with the Mark ing the Choir of Trinity Church - Wall Morris Dance Group ( Academy Street, the St. Thomas Choir of Men of Music), and the record-breaking world and Boys, Musica Viva of NY, Voices of premiere of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding Ascension, and Musica Sacra. (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). Michael re- cently made his network TV debut on FBI, A native of New Jersey, Michael re- a new CBS crime drama from acclaimed ceived his earliest musical training at Law & Order producer Dick Wolf. the American Boychoir School and did his undergraduate studies at George- Michael has performed as a soloist with or- town University and the Peabody In- Indian-American actor and singer Mi- chestras and ensembles across the country stitute of Music. Michael lives in Man- chael Maliakel enjoys a diverse ca- including the Savannah Philharmonic, the hattan with his wife and their beloved, reer spanning theater, classical music, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, the Or- spunky betta fish, Buzz. and television. He is currently touring chestra of St. Luke’s, the Sebastians, the North America in the 25th Anniversa- Aeolus String Quartet, the Greenwich www.michaelmaliakel.com ry production of The Phantom of the Choral Society, and the Long Island Choral @michaelmaliakel Opera as the understudy for Raoul, Society. He has received top awards from Vicomte de Chagny. Michael made his several prestigious organizations includ- Off-Broadway debut in Anything Can ing First Prize in the American Traditions Happen: The Songs of Maury Yeston Competition, First Prize in the NATS Na- at the Triad Theatre, produced by the tional Music Theater Competition, Third Tony Award-winning composer him- Prize in the Lotte Lenya Competition, er, Kellee Love Haselton, introduced him uber-speed as maniacal hyena-laughing to Pop, Rock, and Musical Theatre. Both Mozart…A special treat is once more of them together offered an endless en- Zegree’s rapid-fire yet crisp piano licks. cyclopedia of musical knowledge. The bundle of energy again plays be- hind his back while chatting, and even Since moving to New York in 2014, Nat when leaning upside down.” has been nominated for several awards, largely for his performances as the He has also been heard in Pasek and quirky Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Paul’s new musical, Dear Evan Hansen, Quartet. Nat has performed the role winner of six TONY® awards, a GRAM- at Maine’s Ogunquit Playhouse, the MY® award, and a Daytime EMMY® Regional TONY®-winning Paper Mill award. Other credits include: Henry Playhouse (NJ), Flat Rock Playhouse (Next to Normal), Moritz (Spring Awak- (NC), and Riverside Theatre (FL). In ening), Scarecrow (The Wizard of Oz), Nat Zegree is a born entertainer. Gift- 2017, he returned to Flat Rock Playhouse Rocky (The Rocky Horror Show), Fes- ed with an unbelievably precise musical to perform as W.A. Mozart in the mu- te (12th Night), Flute (A Midsummer ear, and trained with superior musician- sical, Amadeus. Of his performance as Nights Dream), and Ralph (Lord of the ship and an iconic sense of style, Nat the great composer, the Tribune Papers Flies.) An avid writer and composer, Nat can probably play and sing anything you wrote: “Zany Zegree is again hilarious has written several musicals that are cur- would like to hear. Coming from a family on the FRP stage — to the Nth (nor rently in development, both for stage of musicians, Nat was trained classically Nat) degree. He reminded this writer and film, and he has also released a de- on the piano from the age of three un- of Hulce’s falsetto-giggling Amadeus but album, entitled Fly More Than You til eighteen. Training his voice along the when stealing scenes as another goofy Fall. way, he discovered every other genre show-off new talent — Jerry Lee Lewis there was to offer. His father, Steve Ze- — in FRP’s The Million Dollar Quartet www.natzegree.com gree, gave him the gift of Jazz, Funk, and last year. He spoke in a slow drawl as Classical orchestrations, while his moth- Cajun ‘Wild Child’ Lewis, now often at

Thank you for joining us! Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season!