Holiday Windows Light Up Downtown Scranton When you drive or walk through the Downtown Scranton Business District this holiday season, enjoy magical window displays in storefronts as part of the Holiday Window Showcase. The showcase will be on display Wednesday, November 24 through January 7, 2022
Skills in Scranton and Junior Achievement of NEPA to Host Virtual Career Fair We are looking to promote this program and invite member businesses to participate. Members of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce will receive a 15% discount by using the code GSC2.
Marywood University Presenting Holiday Concert Series Christmas traditions at Marywood University continue this year, with protocols in place to ensure safe, in-person experiences, including cultural events. As part of its “Making Spirits Bright” Christmas event series, Marywood is offering three holiday concerts, which are free and open to the public. Masking protocols must be followed at in-person events. Concerts include: ● Chamber Singers Holiday Concert, Sunday, December 5, 4 p.m., at the Marian Chapel. This performance will include the famous “Alleluia” by Randall Thompson, the popular setting of “Lux Aurumque” by Eric Whitacre, and Carol Barnett’s spectacular “Hodie,” as well as carol settings and other sacred and secular music by American composers. ● Guitar Ensemble: Holiday Concert for a Global Community, Wednesday, December 8, 7 p.m., at the Marian Chapel. This concert is being produced in partnership with Marywood’s Center for Global Engagement. During the concert, hear a musical holiday message that Marywood President Sister Mary Persico IHM wrote especially for the event, spoken by the student musicians in several different languages. ● String Project Holiday Gala Concert, Thursday, December 9, 6:30 p.m., at the Sette LaVerghetta Center for Performing Arts. This concert features the children and student teachers from Marywood’s String Project. They will be playing music from around the world and some holiday music to welcome in the season. For information on Marywood’s Christmas events, event registration links, and related resources, visit marywood.edu/makingspiritsbright.
Scranton Tomorrow: Holiday Open House We can’t wait to shop & dine with you!Join us this Sunday at the Holiday Open House in Downtown Scranton, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participating retailers and restaurants are offering holiday incentives, hot cocoa & more! Plus, there is Free On Street Parking All Day! Happy Holidays!
University of Scranton Announces December Events Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Dec. 4 8 p.m. (Prelude begins at 7:05 p.m.) Performance Music: “54th Annual Noel Night” featuring The University of Scranton Singers, Instrumental Chamber Ensembles, and pianist Ron Stabinsky. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu. Dec. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Recital.” Performance music student musicians perform solo, duet, trio, and small group renditions of a variety of Christmas favorites. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items, or a monetary donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Marywood Jazz Ambassadors Set Fall Concert for November 19 The Jazz Ambassadors of Marywood University’s music, theatre, and dance department will present their fall concert on November 19. The performance will take place at 7 p.m. in the Marian Chapel, Swartz Center for Spiritual Life, on Marywood’s campus. Admission is free and open to the public. The concert will be directed by Vincent LoRusso, and the program will feature “Happy Blues,” “Morning Dream,” and “Big Swing Face” by Bill Potts; “Up Jumped Spring” by Freddie Hubbard; “Recorda Me (Remember Me)” by Joe Henderson, and “Swing, Swing, Swing” (from the movie, 1941) by John Williams. For additional information on this and other concerts, please visit marywood.edu/mtd/events or call Marywood University’s music, theatre, and dance department at (570) 348-6268.
The University of Scranton to Host Acclaimed Trumpeter and Vocalist Benny Benack III Acclaimed trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III will perform at a concert featuring The University of Scranton’s Jazz Ensemble on Friday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. On Friday, Nov. 12, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring the University’s Jazz Ensemble with acclaimed trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III as their guest soloist. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. The concert is open to invited guests and all members of the University community. Admission is free, all audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.). The program will feature Benack soloing with the band on both voice and trumpet, and will include a variety of songs such as Bye Bye Blackbird, Choo Choo Ch’Boogie, Operator, Sway, St. Louis Blues and more. Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga is excited for Benack’s first visit to Scranton. “I have known Benny since fall of 2009 and have truly enjoyed watching and listening to him develop into such a mature, versatile and exciting musician and entertainer,” said Boga. “I am really looking forward to having him work with our students.” A 2014 finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition and winner of the 2011 Carmine Caruso International Trumpet Competition, Benack has already proven himself to be a rare talent as both a jazz trumpeter and vocalist. A frontman for Postmodern Jukebox, the vintage music collective famed for its old-school covers of modern pop songs, Benack in 2020 released “A Lot of Livin’ to Do,” the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut album, “One of a Kind.” The third in the generational line of a legendary family of Pittsburgh jazzmen, Benack has been showcased in international headliner tours at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, JALC’s “NY Jazz All-Stars” (Mexico), throughout Asia and Europe, and has headlined his own group’s tours throughout the U.S. He has performed at New York City’s leading jazz venues, as well as played in the house band for NBC’s “Maya & Marty” and performed as a trumpet soloist with the Christian McBride Big Band, Ann Hampton Callaway, Josh Groban and Ben Folds. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 22-member ensemble made up of students from majors spanning the curriculum. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Other programs within the department, including both large ensemble and chamber ensemble music-making opportunities, guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, the Nelhybel Collection and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers. High school juniors and seniors who are considering applying to Scranton are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert, or tour the building. For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Benack, visit bennybenackjazz.com.
Broadway in Scranton Presents International Percussion Sensation STOMP STOMP, the international percussion sensation, returns to the Scranton Cultural Center for two performances only, January 12 & 13, 2022. Tickets for STOMP go on sale THIS THURSDAY, November 11 beginning at 10AM. Tickets are available in person at the Scranton Cultural Center box office and online at BroadwayInScranton.com. For group (10+) rates and more information call 570.342.7784. From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation over the past 20 years, having performed in more than 50 countries and in front of more than 24 million people. Created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, STOMP continues its phenomenal run with four global productions: the ongoing sell-out production at New York’s Orpheum Theatre, a permanent London company, and North American and European tours. Throughout its life, the show has continued to change by creating new material; next year/this year (depending on when release goes out), it will incorporate two new pieces. It is safe to say you will never again look at supermarket carts or plumbing fixtures the same way… or paint cans, or kitchen sinks or… STOMP, an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards, and sell-out engagements, is the winner of an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London’s Tony Award), a New York Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience, and a Special Citation from Best Plays. In addition to the stage shows, STOMP has been an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards, an Academy Award nomination, four Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award for their acclaimed HBO special Stomp Out Loud, noteworthy TV appearances including The London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, The Academy Awards (produced by Quincy Jones), Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and a series of award-winning international commercials. The performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” says co-founder/director Luke Cresswell. A unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, STOMP has created its own inimitable, contemporary form of rhythmic expression: both household and industrial objects find new life as musical instruments in the hands of an idiosyncratic band of body percussionists. It is a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum. Synchronized stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra, eight Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion. STOMP uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – dustbins, tea chests, radiator hoses, boots, hub caps – to fill the stage with a compelling and unique act that is often imitated but never duplicated. Critics and audiences have raved: “STOMP is as crisp and exuberant as if it had opened yesterday,” says The New York Times. The San Francisco Chronicle declares “STOMP has a beat that just won’t quit!” The Los Angeles Times exclaims: “Electrifying! Triumphs in the infinite variety of the human experience.” “A phenomenal show! Bashing, crashing, smashing, swishing, banging and kicking – a joyous invention!” says the Chicago Tribune. STOMPJanuary 12 & 13, 2022Wednesday, January 12 @ 7:30pmThursday, January 13 @ 7:30pm For photo, video, and interview requests, contact Ali Basalyga at ali@nacentertainment.com.For more information on Broadway In Scranton, please visit BroadwayInScranton.com
