“Memorizing songs from the classic Broadway musical ‘West Side Story’ will be no problem for Bob Wearing,” writes Gary Demuth in Thursday’s (10/25) Salina Journal (Salina, Kansas). “The Salina-born actor and singer has been listening to the cast album incessantly since he was five…. Wearing, a 2009 graduate of Salina South High School … will be able to put his knowledge to the test when he joins fellow South grad Maggie Spicer … to sing selections from [Bernstein’s] ‘West Side Story’ [and] ‘Candide’ at an upcoming Salina Symphony concert…. The Salina Symphony will pay tribute to Bernstein’s music during a concert entitled ‘Bernstein & Broadway’ … Nov. 4…. Ken Hakoda, conductor and music director of the Salina Symphony, said, … ‘Bernstein was an American icon who helped shaped classical music in America…. He’s someone who mixes American jazz with opera and classical.’ ” Says Spicer, “To sing this kind of music in front of an orchestra of this caliber is a blessing. And to do it with Bob, who I’ve known since we were 7 or 8, is something I never thought I’d get the chance to do again.”
Posted October 29, 2018
