Bijou Orchestra Set For Spring Concert
(Photo Courtesy of Andrew Rogers)

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Bijou Orchestra is turning up the heat for their spring concert

May 20, 2016
By: Pati LaLonde

Members of the Bijou Orchestra are bringin' the heat to the State Theatre Sunday.

The group will be Playing with Fire at 3 p.m. at the downtown theater, 913 Washington Ave. Tickets are $22, $17 and $12, and available at the box office, by calling 989-892-2660 or online at http://www.statetheatrebaycity.com.

"It's going to be a really fun concert," said Catherine McMichael, organizer, and pianist. "The music is hilarious and great. There will be smoke coming out of the windows. It's a concert founding maestro Leo Najar would be proud."

"May 17 was the fifth anniversary of his death," McMichael said. "Every time I pull out our scores and see his handwriting on them, he is very much a guiding presence and alive in our concerts."

That guiding presence helped picked tunes that will definitely shake off the last of winter, and many with titles that have to do with fire, says McMichael. "Not every title has fire in it," said McMichael. "We have songs from the Caribbean, figuring it's hot down there." There are also a few contemporary songs, such as "Great Balls of Fire," which puts guest Dave Bennet at the piano, and Elvis will be in the building in the form of Mark Mooningham, with "Burning Love."

Although Bennett is taking to the piano for that one song, he is actually guest clarinetist for the concert. "He's a clarinet phenom," said McMichael. "He is just brilliantly talented. Besides that, he is the world's nicest guy."

This time around, McMichael and co-organiser Vickie Bowden went beyond the maestro's stockpile to find just the right music, borrowing scores from the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and University of Michigan Professor Jim Dapogny. McMcMichael hopes the audience will get to feeling hot as well.

"Let's light the match and set things on fire," she said.