Constantine Maroulis headlines Miller Center concert; Joni Mitchell tribute set [Spotlight]

Oct. 29—The Miller Center for the Arts at Reading Area Community College will present Constantine Maroulis: A Rock and Roll Cabaret, with accompaniment by Berks County native Dan Pardo on piano, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Maroulis first came to prominence as the beloved rock 'n' roll underdog on the fourth season of "American Idol." He then secured his place in pop culture as a Broadway superstar, best known for his Tony-nominated role in "Rock of Ages." Now, for his third act, he begins a new era with a bevy of intriguing projects, including putting the finishing touches on his most assured and swaggering solo music to date.

"Rock of Ages" enjoyed a run as one of the highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time, culminating in a myriad of awards and critical acclaim for Maroulis, including a Tony Award nomination and a Drama League Award nomination for the Distinguished Performance Award for "Rock of Ages" as well as his work on "Jekyll and Hyde."

Pardo, an Antietam High School and West Chester University graduate, is a NYC-based music director, pianist, arranger and educator, having made his Broadway debut as assistant conductor and keyboardist for "Amazing Grace" at the Nederlander Theatre. He also music-directed the acclaimed Netflix special "John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch."

He also has many off-Broadway and regional theater credits, performs regularly with the vocal jazz quintet Marquee Five and music-directs BariToned. He is active in the New York City piano bar scene, playing at Marie's Crisis, The Townhouse and the historic Stonewall Inn.

Concert tickets cost $34 at millercenter.racc.edu.

----The WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St., in partnership with the Reading Film Office, is hosting an 80th Birthday Party to honor Joni Mitchell next Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

A singer, composer and lyricist of exceptional talent and unmatched influence, Mitchell has crafted an extraordinary body of work spanning more than 50 years and is widely regarded as one of the brightest musical lights of recent generations. She is this year's winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress.

Doors open at 1:45 p.m.; the program starts at 2:30 p.m. A $10 donation at the door is encouraged.

"The Joni Mitchell celebration is a continuation of WCR's programming to honor influential artists across genres," said Crystal Kowalski, WCR Program & Events Committee Chair. "We hope Joni fans and music fans in general will join us."

The celebration will provide fans an opportunity to gather and discuss her timeless music, their favorite songs, personal concert experiences and enjoy a display of Mitchell's albums, paintings and drawings.

The program will feature the screening of the documentary "Joni Mitchell: A Woman of Heart and Mind" and live performances of classic Mitchell songs.

Featured vocalists will be Reading High senior Twyla Ewen, member of the Olivet Boys & Girls Club's Center for the Arts since she was 7 years old. Last year, Ewen was selected Olivet Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year, going on to represent Olivet at the Pennsylvania Youth of the Year competition, and the winner of the National Boys & Girls Talent Search, leading to performances at National Boys & Girls Clubs events in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Orlando, Fla., and Chicago.

Joining Ewen for Mitchell musical tributes will be vocalist Maria Damore, guitarist Ken Bagenstose and vocalist Suzie Ernesto, who also will serve as event emcee. The music portion of the program will conclude with Ewen, Damore, Ernesto and Bagenstose leading fans in a sing-along of Mitchell's classic "Circle Game."

The celebration will end with a birthday toast and cupcakes provided by Sweet Street.

----Opus One will present a concert entitled "Holiday Movie Music" on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. at Wilson West Middle School Auditorium.

Opus One is partnering with singers from both Wilson middle schools to present this concert of holiday-themed film music, including "Rudolph," "Frosty," "Home Alone," "Polar Express" and "White Christmas." The choirs will be conducted by Christopher Hoster (Opus One), Andrew Rhoads (Wilson West), and Rebecca Wittman (Wilson Southern) and accompanied by a full orchestra.

The highlight of the evening will be a performance of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (the original 1966 broadcast version). This work is being presented by CONCERN, a local foster/adoption agency. A representative from CONCERN will be making remarks during intermission and there will be a collection taken to benefit this organization.

Tickets are $15, with children under 12 and CONCERN families granted free admission. CONCERN children will have a "meet the Grinch" session before the concert begins. Concessions and a Silent Auction will also be available.

----A new Busker Incognito & The SHOW live concert recording will be released by Smoking Bishop Records worldwide on Nov. 15, as a part of the band's appearance during Reading BluesFest.

This live concert recording was made during the 2021 Reading BluesFest and captures the essence of the band's energy and original music. A new studio track, "Encore," has been added as the finishing touch to the 16 live tracks of The SHOW.

The SHOW is a musical journey through a circus-like atmosphere, from acoustic street blues to electric blues and high energy boogie and blues-rock. The project will be released digitally on all worldwide digital music platforms such as iTunes, Amazon Music, YouTube, Spotify, TickTok, Deezer and more. The live release follows up on the band's studio LP of the same name, which was released worldwide in 2021.

Busker Incognito & The SHOW will perform along with the Mikey Jr. Band at the Reading Liederkranz on Nov. 15 from 6 to 9:30pm. Doors and kitchen open at 5 p.m. Tickets are on sale at https://vivenu.com/event/reading-liederkranz-community-kickoff-event-qjwvs1.

The Mount Penn Preservation Partnership is presenting this concert. Reading Musical Foundation, along with Mount Penn Preservation Partnership, Berks Arts and Reading BluesFest, will also present a free blues workshop with members of Busker Incognito & The SHOW with special guest Arlen Roth at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading on Nov. 18 at 4:30 p.m. Contact Smoking Bishop Records for more information at daveklineproductions@gmail.com.

Art

The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area invites artists to submit original pieces for the 19th annual Scenes of the Schuylkill Juried Art Show and Sale to be held Nov. 13. through Dec. 10 at the Pottstown Campus of Montgomery County Community College.

The Best in Show artist or photographer will receive a $500 prize. Pieces ranked in second and third place, as honorable mentions and selected as the staff choice will also receive cash prizes. Best in Show sculpture will receive a $250 prize.

Artists may offer their work for sale during the show. The prospectus and application can be viewed at schuylkillriver.org/artshow.

SRG encourages artists to submit original artwork that communicates the distinctive nature of the historic watershed and can focus on people, the river, streams, landscape or historic property. Artists working in photography, painting and sculpture are welcome to submit their work for consideration.

Patrick Winston, who teaches painting and drawing at Montgomery County Community College and was the driving force behind establishing the gallery at North Hall, will be guest curator.He has displayed his own works of art in a variety of museums and galleries around the globe.

----The art of Rebecca Ross, a studio artist at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in downtown Reading, will be on exhibit Nov. 1-29 at Muhlenberg Gallery, located in the lobby of Muhlenberg Township Building, 210 George St.

The exhibit is titled "Barn Stars" and will feature a series of works with cultural and spiritual symbols such as barn stars and the Buddhist yantra. The series is based on geometry and is executed in a modernistic oil pastel scratchboard technique.

The building and gallery are open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Family

Visitors to the Berks Libraries/Reading Public Museum StoryWalk trail on the museum grounds will explore part of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood this fall in "Look for the Helpers," adapted by Alexandra Cassel Schwartz. Filled with an important lesson on safety preparedness, this storybook is based on a PBS Kids television episode of "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood," where Daniel follows Dad Tiger's advice and "looks for the helpers" after a scary storm.

The Arboretum StoryWalk brings together the joys of reading and love of the outdoors. Featured titles are bilingual stories that periodically rotate to align with current museum exhibitions. This storybook pairs with the museum's exhibition "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: A Grr-ific Exhibit," on exhibit through Jan. 14.

Visitors to the exhibition will enter the world of Daniel Tiger and friends to explore the neighborhood. Through immersive experiences, visitors collaborate to solve problems, use their imaginations to transform their surroundings and play along with Daniel's singable strategies as they learn life's little lessons.

After completing the StoryWalk, visitors may stop inside the museum to request an activity bag. Berks County Public Library cardholders can borrow books and DVDs of "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" along with Reading Public Museum admission passes from their local library.