The Bijou Orchestra Opens its Eighth Season
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A Musical History of Bay City's Historic Theatre, celebrating a century of entertainment at the same location.
The Bijou Orchestra opens its eighth season with a program entitled 'Ten Thousand Dreams' on October 9 at 8pm and October 10 at 2pm at the State Theatre in Bay City. The concert is sponsored by a gift from Summit Printing of Bay City.
The concert is a musical journey through the various kinds of entertainment offered at the little theatre located at 913 Washington. It has been a favorite entertainment spot for Bay Citians for over a century.
Built in 1908 as the Bijou Theatre, the facility began life as a vaudeville theatre. A name change to the 'Orpheum' came with a change in ownership in 1922. In 1930, the theatre, now named the 'Bay' was remodeled to become a film-only venue. During the 1950s it was modernized with a new marquee and yet another new name, the 'State.'
Representative music of the various periods of the theatre's operations will be featured. It will begin with original salon arrangements of classical favorites as would have been heard as an accompaniment to both theatrical works and early silent films. Ragtime and the 'parlor' song also characterize this period. The shift is toward Tin Pan Alley and swing in the 1920s when the Bijou became the Orpheum with Prohibition and flapper sexuality serving as constant musical themes.
The 1930s brought remodeling and a new style of sound film that brought us the first movie musicals. The romantic music of the Silver Screen introduced many standards still popular today. The modern era began with the renaming to the State in the 1950s.
Nine vocal soloists will join The Bijou for the show. Bob Bloenk, Scott Sowinsky and Charissa Armon are familiar to Bijou audiences from last year's 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime.' They will be joined by the six members of 'Ah Tempo!' a male sextet that is a part of the Saginaw Choral Society.
A video piece that will carry characteristic images and advertising from the period will begin 30 minutes before each show.
This concert is presented in cooperation with the Bay County Historical Society. They will host a preview lecture at their 'Second Saturday' Series on Saturday, October 9 at 1PM in the museum, located at 321 Washington in Bay City. The Society will also host a reception following the concert at the museum where all exhibits will be open and the WPA film will be shown again. Admission to the reception is free to concert ticket holders.
Tickets for the concert are $10, $20, $25 and $30. Ticket information is available at by calling the State Theatre Box Office at (989) 892-4200 or online at http://www.thebijou.org -- Tickets will also be available at the door.
The Bijou Orchestra takes its name from the Bijou Theater, one of the earliest Bay City theaters, which later became known as the Bay and eventually the State. The ensemble is composed of thirteen outstanding musicians drawn from Michigan and beyond to perform in this challenging medium in which every player is a soloist.
The orchestra is supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Bay Area Community Foundation. Major corporate sponsors include, Dow Corning, and the Dow Chemical Company Foundation.
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Julie McCallum, Entertainment Editor |
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