Holly Larocque & the Mark Ferguson Orchestra's Big Band Broadcast Set for April 8 at Spencer Theatre

When Big Band favorites like In The Mood, La Vie En Rose and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy are belted out by Holly Larocque and the Mark Ferguson Orchestra, people can't help but to swing!
The renowned Canadian singer and Ferguson's 13-piece orchestra will be "live, on air" in a booming, authentically styled Big Band Broadcast at the Spencer Theater at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 8, performing a vast repertoire of upbeat tempos from the late 1930's and 1940's. Adorned with period-rich glamour, panache, humor, blazing solos and delightful choreography - just as in the live broadcasts from starlit ballrooms of days gone by - the BBB is a sentimental journey that beckons folks to get up and dance! (The orchestra pit will be transformed into an actual dance floor).

That's right; you get to sway cheek to cheek with your partner or Fox Trot with your friends as Larocque and Ferguson's orchestra (four trumpets, four trombone's three saxophones, a clarinet, piano and drums) take us on a live journey into one of the greatest eras in American musical history.

Cheerful, lush and intelligent, this is the music (the Dorsey Brothers, Glenn Miller, the Andrew Sisters, etc.) that swept the globe during the World War II years, uniting countries and families, and which continuously captures hearts everywhere.

It certainly captured the imagination of Larocque, who became a lover of the Big Band style when just a wee little girl in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As she explains, her father, a WWII pilot, used to top off his bedtime stories by playing a name-that- tune kind of game with Holly. "He'd hum songs for me, pieces that were close to his heart, and I had to identify the melodies."
The game, as well as the tunes themselves, helped create her visceral attachment to the great songbook and its engaging, emotional style.

"Through the game, all of these tunes would loop together and were the beginning of a repertoire for me."

She's been dedicated to the music ever since, and through her partnering with Ferguson (whose original arrangements of the famed orchestrations stand tall next to those of Dorsey or Miller), Holly created the Big Band Broadcast old time radio concerts. The show was launched in 2002 at the National Art Center in Canada, which had asked Larocque and Ferguson for a concert akin to their popular touring troupe shows (performances Larocque and Ferguson's orchestra had performed in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of WWII and the war's POWs).

The Big Band Broadcast with Holly Larocque and the Mark Ferguson Orchestra leaves audiences feeling energized, refreshed and wanting more! Anything but retro, this is a fun extravaganza of great musicianship, glamorous dress and hilarious commercial breaks -- a trip into a past that is very much present. Come and dance, sing along or celebrate! Call the Spencer Box Office at 575.336.4800 or go online to www.spencertheater.com for tickets ($59 & $56) today!

NEXT UP:

• THE LEGENDARY DRIFTERS Saturday, April 24 at 8 p.m. ($59 & $56) The 1950's doo-wop/rhythm & blues vocal group of lore: There Goes My Baby, Under The Boardwalk, Up On The Roof, On Broadway, This Magic moment, Please Stay, (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay among other classics.

• 5th Annual Spencer Golf Tournament at the Inn of the Mountain Gods 1 p.m. Sunday, May 16 - complimentary luncheon at noon. Proceeds benefit Spencer Theater. $125 per person. Big prizes, beautiful setting, loads of fun. Call 575.336.0014 for sign-up & play information.

WAYS TO ORDER/ BUY Winter Season 2009-10 Tickets (public series & public single ticket sales)

GO TO THE BOX OFFICE: at the theater at108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220, Alto, NM. Business hours are 9 a.m-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For tickets or information call (575) 336-4800 or toll free at 888.818.7872.

ON THE WEB: www.spencertheater.com. The site offers secure ticket ordering.

BY FAX: series and single tickets can be ordered by fax at (575) 336-0055.

BY E-MAIL: single tickets may be ordered at boxoffice@spencertheater.com.

BY MAIL: Donna Clarke, Box Office Manager, Spencer Theater, 108 Spencer Road, Alto, NM 88312

Winter Season 2009-10 is sponsored in part by The Hugh Bancroft Jr. Foundation, Compass Bank, the Inn of the Mountain Gods, Sierra Blanca Motors, Ruidoso Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, R.D. & Joan Dale Hubbard Foundation, Ventanas, The Enjoyment of Fine Southwestern Living, Montaraz, Rainmakers, El Paso Inside & Out Magazine, Oh So Ruidoso, Magazine, New Mexico Magazine, Ruidoso.net, area radio stations KRUI-1490 AM NEWS TALK TOURISM & KIDX 101.5 FM, KNMB-96.7 FM, KTUM 107.1 FM, KBIM-94.9 FM, 910 AM Roswell, KWES 93.5 FM and KBUY 1360 AM, KEDU 102.3 FM, and the support of Ruidoso News.

Spencer Theater is a world-class performance hall located in the Sacramento Mountain settlement of Alto, about 12 miles north of downtown Ruidoso. Unique architecture, outstanding acoustics, intimate seating, and excellent artistry are the Spencer's celebrated features. The elegant, award-winning hall, which first raised its curtains in 1997, seats 514, with no seats farther than 67 feet from the 4,770 square-foot stage. The Spencer also has a 964 square-foot outdoor stage that can seat 1,500. From its Spanish mica-flecked limestone face to the crystal lobby, the building itself is a work of art. Free public tours are offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year.

 

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