Put these on your to-do list for the summer: a sing-along tribute concert and a competition for the best likeness of Ol’ Blue Eyes.
The city is hosting a slew of free events this summer, and they kick off their free concert series on Thursday, June 3 with a Pete Seeger Tribute Concert sing-along featuring hundreds of local students.
“There’s a nice forgetting yourself in singing with a group.” – Geri Fallo
________
Eager for Seeger
Last year, the city honored Seeger’s legendary folk music career for his 90th birthday, and Cultural Affairs Coordinator Geri Fallo said the event may well become a yearly occurrence.
The tribute speaks to the tradition that Seeger left of all voices uniting in song, Fallo said. “There’s a nice forgetting yourself in singing with a group,” she said.
The Seeger tribute features performances by The Big Sing Children’s Choir, including students from the Hoboken Public Schools, Stevens Cooperative School, Hoboken Charter School, All Saints Day School, The Hudson School, and Garden Street Music.
Local musicians will also participate in the event, including The Demolition String Band, Jon & Deena of The Cucumbers, Dave Calamoneri, Julio Fernandez, Ed Fogarty, Martha Fraizer, Kate Jacobs, Dave Lambert, Abbe Rivers, Gene Turonis, Emily Turonis, and Tom Vincent & Annalee Van Kleeck.
Over 200 hundred students from local schools have been asked to participate in the event.
The threat of rain hampered last year’s performances, but that didn’t stop the undaunted.
“The crowd huddled with the bands in the Pier A gazebo and everyone sang along and it was a wonderful time,” said performer and co-organizer Kate Jacobs.
Jacobs helps organize the kids’ session. “[Seeger’s] made a lot of music with kids, so Geri and I had the idea that it would be great to get all the school children in town together to sing some of these familiar tunes. Last year we had a fantastic turnout from all sectors: the public, charter, private, and home school. This year looks like we’ll have an even bigger crowd. It’s pretty exciting to stand together with hundreds of kids and sing ‘This Land is Your Land’ no matter how jaded you are,” she said.
She also encourages any child who wants to participate in “The Big Sing” to come to the concert and walk up on stage.
Catherine Sanders, a 6th grader at Wallace School, will be participating this year as part of the public schools’ chorus.
She said she likes to perform in front of big crowds, although she missed this event due to sickness last year.
“It’s something that comes from the heart,” she said of singing. “It’s a passion.”
Many of the folk tunes are recognizable to the kids, even if the new generation didn’t grow up on Seeger records like Jacobs did.
“He didn’t write most of his songs, he just popularized them,” Jacobs said.
She said one of the reasons the musician is revered locally is because Seeger has long been active in the restoration of the Hudson River following years of ecological abuse.
Sinatra Idol
On Thursday, June 10 the city is hosting its now-annual Sinatra Idol Contest, where contestants compete to do their best impersonation of Frank Sinatra, the famous Hoboken crooner.
Fifteen contestants are registered to perform their best Sinatra singing style interpretation and be judged by a panel for prizes and a trophy.
Fallo said the contest is gaining global popularity with registrants coming from Italy and Canada this year.
One contestant, Rick Valiant of British Columbia, Canada, is a 56-year-old sales consultant who told Fallo he started singing Sinatra songs three years ago to combat personal issues.
“Frank Sinatra has always been someone that I listened to,” he told Fallo in an e-mail. “I was hooked on ‘My Way’ from attending family functions hosted by our Filipino nanny.”
He says he recorded a CD, and started performing around his area.
“I have [had] quite a journey the past three years,” he writes, “[and] my eyes and voice have been set on your competition since I came across it last year. [I] would love to come to Hoboken to sing Frank Sinatra’s songs for you …My Way.”
Participants must register in advance by e-mailing hoboculturalaffairs@gmail.com.
Other performances
The rest of the summer will also be filled with free performances at the Sinatra Park ampitheater.
● June 17: Drums of Thunder, a 35-member Hillside School percussionist group
● June 24: The Gordys
● July 1: to be announced
● July 8: Big Summer Bash sponsored by Frank Raia
● July 15: Dave Calamoneri & Trainwreck
● July 22: Guitar Bar Allstars
● July 29: Smokey’s Roundup
● Aug. 5: An evening of Latin music with Orchestra ChaRay sponsored by the Puerto Rican Cultural Committee
● Aug. 12: Sinatra Idol winners concert featuring Peter Cafasso (2007), Eric Nolan (2008) & Sean Reilly (2009)
● Aug. 19: Jazz, soul, and funk with Julio Fernandez and friends
● Aug 26: Swingadelic
For more information, call (201) 420-2207 or e-mail hoboculturalaffairs@gmail.com. –
Timothy J. Carroll may be reached at tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.