onStage at Connecticut College presents jazz singer Mary Foster Conklin Sept. 9 and 10
NEW LONDON, Conn. - Mary Foster Conklin, a 1979 Connecticut College alumna, will open the Centennial year season of onStage at Connecticut College with "The Melody Lingers On - Three Generations of American Popular Song," Sept. 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. in Tansill Theater. Praised by the New York Times as "a highly creative singer whose style blends cabaret and jazz so thoroughly as to defy any easy categorization," Conklin will celebrate Connecticut College's 100th anniversary with selections from the Great American Songbook.
A third-generation Connecticut College alumna, Conklin will focus on the music from the years she and her family members attended the College. "I hope to not only recreate a piece of the past," she said, "but also to add a little of our own time and perspective to the picture." A New Jersey native, Conklin initially pursued acting, but transitioned to singing after joining a 15-piece band. Conklin's experience on stage allows her to blend jazz-based improvisation with the theatrical techniques of cabaret, and her eclectic mix of performance styles have enthralled audiences from the Blue Note in New York to the Plush Room in San Francisco. The singer was recently awarded a MAC award for Jazz Vocalist by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs in 2010, and her debut album was listed as one of the 10 best albums of 1998 by In Theatre Magazine. Tickets are $26; seniors $23; students $13. The ticket price includes dessert. There will be a cash wine bar. For tickets and information, call (860) 439-ARTS or visit http://onstage.conncoll.edu. onStage at Connecticut College is presented with support from The National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts and The Day Publishing Company.
August 30, 2011
