Brockport’s second Winter Serenades event celebrates the return of Michael Lasser, the popular author and award-winning Fascinatin’ Rhythm radio host. It will be held Sunday, February 16, 3 p.m., at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Main and State Streets, Brockport.
This is an opportunity to hear a program of memorable songs from the Great American Songbook. You’re bound to know them for their rich melodies and lyrics that combine the romantic and the witty. You’ll know the people who wrote them: George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and more. Singing along will be tempting but it’s not encouraged.
Alan Jones and Connie Fredericks-Malone sing and bring to life the music that Lasser talks about from the Great American Songbook. It’s rumored that this may be Lasser’s last public performance – don’t miss this opportunity to hear him in person.
There is no charge and tickets are not required, thanks to the generosity of many local music lovers. Audiences are invited to attend an informal “Meet the Artists” reception afterward in the social hall.
Appropriate for all ages, the Serenades will also be available for home viewing during the performances and later. See http://www.stlukesbrockport.org for a streaming link. Singing along at home would be fun.
For more information, contact the Village of Brockport at 637-5300 or visit http://www.brockportny.org (sign up on the Get Notifications link for up-to-date announcements). March 30 is being held as a possible “reschedule” date in case of weather-necessitated cancellations. The Serenades series continues at 3 p.m. on March 2 with Chris Wilson, followed by the Laura Dubin Trio on March 16.
About the artists
A proud graduate of Dartmouth College, Michael Lasser is the author of five important books about the Great American Songbook. For 40 years, he hosted Fascinatin’ Rhythm, a nationally syndicated radio show on public radio. It won a Peabody Award in 1994. He has spoken and appeared at arts centers, universities, and museums from New York to California and has had a major presence in the Winter Serenades over the years.
Alan Jones, a longtime Lasser partner, served as Director of Choral Music at Spencerport High School for 32 years where he directed the Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz and taught Music Theory. Jones has been on the music staff at The Downtown United Presbyterian Church since 1980. He is an active vocalist/pianist/guitarist who performs a wide variety of music from classical to jazz. Jones is the regular pianist/vocalist for the road productions of Michael Lasser’s “Fascinatin’ Rhythm.”
A musical theater actress for many years, Connie Fredericks-Malone developed a powerful four-octave range voice that easily finds its way into several genres of music. It was in the small cabaret rooms and jazz clubs of Manhattan as well as many theater stages that she honed her performance skills. Connie is thrilled to collaborate once again with Michael Lasser and Alan Jones in this Great American Songbook performance for Brockport’s 2025 Winter Serenades series. They appeared together in 2024 in a special Harlem Renaissance anniversary program.
Provided information and photo
