BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Music Center and Retreat Farm Music Under the Stars summer concert series continues Saturday, July 23, with a performance by the Vermont Jazz Center's Big Band, joined by guest vocalist Rebecca Holtz.
The July 23 celebration of the music of the swing era spotlights the talents of a 17-piece big band made up of area professional musicians who come together to enjoy the camaraderie and rich repertoire of the swing era and beyond.
They are directed by Vermont Jazz Center board member Rob Freeberg, whose conducting “draws on his respect for the jazz legacy, an unerring ear, and decades of experience leading his own big band in the New York City region,” organizers say.
Vocalist Rebecca Holtz, a frequent performer with the Compaq Big Band and the Keene Jazz Orchestra, also sang in the Bay Area with the SFJAZZ Monday Night Band and was highlighted in SFJAZZ's Artists on the Rise series.
She will be singing classics that include “When I Fall in Love,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and “Paper Moon.”
Admission is free. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. at Retreat Farm, with the concert at 6:30 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, July 24. All are welcome to bring lawn chairs and a picnic, and to enjoy food-truck fare, gelato from the Farmhouse Vermont Gelato stand, and assorted beverages at The Thirsty Goat bar.
For more information about Music Under the Stars, contact the BMC at 802-257-4523 or email info@bmcvt.org.