Arts and Entertainment

Fall concert features performances by Penn State Altoona faculty

The Division of Arts and Humanities will feature two faculty members, Greggory Brandt and James White, in concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, in the Paul R. and Margery Wolf Kuhn Theatre at the Community Arts Center at Penn State Altoona. The concert is free to the public.

The program includes selections by Brandt from Broadway musicals such as "Gypsy," "Nine," "My Fair Lady" and a duet with White, "Lily's Eyes" from "The Secret Garden." White will perform "At the River" by Aaron Copland, from William Shuman's "The Mighty Casey" and "The Battle of Baby Doe" by Douglas Moore, among others.

White, bass-baritone, has performed as a soloist throughout central Pennsylvania -- with the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Consort, the State College Choral Society, the Pennsylvania Chamber Chorale, the Juniata College Choral Union and for many community and church programs. This past spring he sang the title role in Mendelssohn's "Elijah" with the Williamsport Community Chorale and the role of Pontius Pilate in J.S. Bach's "St. John Passion" with Ars Musica in Paramus, N.J.

White, who currently is teaching "Class Voice and Introduction to Western Art Music" at Penn State Altoona, is the assistant director of music and voice instructor at the Academy of Sacred Music in Altoona. Before teaching at Penn State Altoona, he taught class voice and studio voice at Juniata College. He holds a bachelor of arts in music education from Findlay College (The University of Findlay) in Findlay, Ohio, and a master of divinity from Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y. Additional studies include voice and vocal pedagogy at The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary-School of Church Music in Fort Worth, Texas, and at Penn State.

Brandt is an instructor of theater arts and the director of Ivyside Pride at Penn State Altoona. Brandt has been a professional actor for more than 15 years performing in more than 50 regional productions including leading roles in "The Secret Garden," "Camelot," "Evita," "The Student Prince" and "Carousel." He performed in the Broadway and National Touring Productions of "Les Miserables." Other national tours include "Camelot" and "Bells Are Ringing." He was the baritone soloist at The Cathedral of St. Patrick in New York City under the direction of Robert Long. Brandt has been featured with numerous symphony orchestras including the New York Chamber Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Butler Symphony Orchestra and the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a bachelor of fine arts in musical theater/vocal performance along with a master of arts management degree. Brandt will direct Alfred Uhry's 1997 Tony Award-winning play, "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," this fall, which opens Thursday, Nov. 9, in the Community Arts Center theatre. Brandt recently released his first CD recording, "Back From Broadway," and this past summer he performed in the productions of "A Little Night Music," "The Sound of Music" and "The Pirates of Penzance" with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. In January, Brandt and his wife, Susan, will officially open The Brandt School for the Performing Arts on 11th Avenue in downtown Altoona.

General admission tickets are free and available at the Community Arts Center Box Office at Penn State Altoona, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and before and during all performances. Telephone reservations may be made by calling the Box Office at (814) 949-5452. The Paul R. and Margery Wolf Kuhn Theatre is handicapped accessible and open to the public.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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