BDN Advances Student-Run School of Performing Arts Benefit Concert
The Bangor Daily News reported on the upcoming student-run benefit concert “150 Years of American Song: A Celebration of the University of Maine.” The Jan. 23 event at the Collins Center for the Arts will celebrate UMaine’s 150th anniversary and serve as a School of Performing Arts fundraiser. More than 75 students will bring to the stage selections from the Great American Songbook through performances by a full big band, string orchestra and singing groups. UMaine alumnus and Broadway performer Merritt David Janes will perform during the concert and teach a free master class on musical theater on Jan. 22. “[Janes] has experienced much success since leaving UMaine, so this is a great opportunity to have an artist of his caliber perform on stage alongside our students,” said Ben McNaboe, a music education major who is the show’s music director and conductor. “It’s just an unbelievable experiential learning experience for us all.”