Smile. The title of her glorious new, ten-track collection of uniquely selected secular and spiritual songs says it all about what Tonia Tecce is doing this spring as she gears up for a handful of diverse live performances.
On Wednesday, June 16, Tonia performs a “Brown Bag Concert” at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia. This is a prestigious weekly noontime performance in which various members of Philadelphia’s music community participate.
Her performance begins at 12:30 p.m. at Church of the Holy Trinity, located at 19th and Walnut Streets, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia.
On Tuesday, June 22, she will be singing the National Anthem for the Harrisburg, PA Senators (minor league baseball team) at their home stadium of Metro Bank Park.
The Philadelphia-based “crossover soprano” also recently returned to her hometown of Paulsboro, NJ to sing and speak to the Boys and Girls Club. The showcase of local artists, musicians, poets and dancers included speeches by the Mayor and Superintendent of Schools and a performance by the Paulsboro High School Jazz Band.
Long before Susan Boyle took the stage on “Britain’s Got Talent,” shocked Simon Cowell and became a global phenomenon, Tonia Tecce was living her own dream, embodying the exciting truth that it’s never too late. The classical artist was captivating thousands of fans everywhere from the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philly to Carnegie Hall with her powerful, soaring vocals and the tale behind the amazing journey which led her to center stage.
While Tecce may be a new name to those outside her regular performing base on the East Coast, her collaborators on both projects are world-renowned, including John Vanore (producer of both What A Wonderful World and Smile), who was a featured trumpet soloist with the Woody Herman Orchestra and has accompanied everyone from Tony Bennett and Sammy Davis, Jr. to Nancy Wilson. GRAMMY nominated arranger/accompanist/conductor Byron Olson has worked with Placido Domingo, Gloria Estefan, Johnny Mathis, Carmen McRae and The London Symphony. Repertoire consultant Ettore Stratta has conducted The London Symphony, The English Chamber Orchestra and The Royal Philharmonic.
EVENTS RECAP:
June 16
Brown Bag Concert
Church of the Holy Trinity
19th and Walnut Streets, Rittenhouse Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Info: (215) 567-1267, www.htrit.org
June 22
National Anthem Performance
Harrisburg Senators Minor League Game
7 p.m.
Metro Bank Park
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Ticket information: www.harrisburg.senators.milb.com