Michael Andrew will fly the audience to the moon on the wings of Frank Sinatra’s melodies with the backing of the Augusta Symphony Saturday.
“Michael Andrew is a wonderful singer,” said Anne Catherine Murray, executive director of the Augusta Symphony.
Andrew will be in concert as part of the symphony’s gala concert and celebration at the Miller Theater. The event has a theme of “Fly Me To the Moon.”
Murray said Andrew has worked with the symphony’s music director, Dirk Meyer, several times.
“We’re excited to have him,” she said.
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Andrew was the headline singer and bandleader at the Rainbow room atop the Rockefeller Center in New York as well as Merv Griffin’s Coconut Club in The Beverly Hilton in California. Griffin called Andrew “One of the great singers of all time,” while appearing on “Larry King Live,” according to Andrew’s website.
Andrew is not only a singer whose repertoire includes the songs from the Great American Songbook, but he’s also a music producer. He recently produced 11 of the songs in the biopic “Being the Ricardos,” released Dec. 10, 2021. He also produced music for the film “Inglorious Bastards” and “Heartbreakers.”
Following the concerts will be a Sinatra-inspired afterparty in other parts of the Miller Theater including the Knox Music Institute. The afterparty will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres by Blue Collard Catering of Aiken. The menu items will be based on Sinatra song titles.
A jazz trio will perform, and there will be a DJ. Also, a collection of Sinatra memorabilia will be on display.
The black-tie gala begins at 6:30 with the concert at 7:30 p.m.
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Murray said the gala is the symphony’s signature fundraising event. In the past, the organization had multiple fundraisers but consolidated into one with a focus on other types of giving during the rest of the year.
“It’s a special event, and it’s been a successful one since the reopening of the Miller in 2018,” she said.
The gala draws some audience members who might not attend symphony concerts during the season.
Gala sponsorships begin at $125. More information is available at the symphony website, augustasymphony.com.
Murray said the 2021-2022 season has been a successful one thus far.
Patrons have told her that while they appreciated the live streamed concerts in 2020-2021, they are glad to be back inside the Miller Theater.
The symphony has plenty of other concerts planned for the season. Among them are a tribute to the Carpenters as part of the Pops! series on Feb. 3, and a discovery concert for schoolchildren Friday, Feb. 11.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Managing Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
Tickets are still available for the gala as well as the Carpenters event and children’s concert.
For more information, visit augustasymphony.com.
