Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
CSO gets down with the music of Motown
There may just be dancing in the aisles of the Tivoli Theatre Saturday night during the next Chattanooga Symphony & Opera pops concert because nobody can sit still when the music of Motown is playing.
As Martha and the Vandellas sing, “It doesn’t matter what you wear, just as long as you are there.”
The CSO’s “Dancing in the Street: Music of Motown,” conducted by Bob Bernhardt, will feature hits made famous by artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, The Temptations and Stevie Wonder.
The audience can groove to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Reach Out (I’ll Be There),” “Dancing in the Street,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “My Girl” and “Superstition.”
“We will have three vocalists for this concert: Shayna Steele, Chester Gregory and Michael Lynche,” says Andre Charitat, CSO spokesman. “Shayna Steele is a familiar face for us. She was a guest vocalist during last season’s pops concert, “Women Rock.” Her voice is phenomenal and she has such a fun stage presence, so I’m really excited to see her come back for Music of Motown.”
Steele appeared in the Broadway productions of “Rent,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and the original cast of “Hairspray.” She is a vocalist with the Grammy-nominated Broadway Inspirational Voices and, in December, reprised her role with the Dynamites on NBC’s “Hairspray Live.”
Gregory was last seen in “Motown: The Musical” playing Berry Gordy. His Broadway credits include “Hairspray,” “Tarzan,” “Cry-Baby” and “Sister Act.” He has toured nationally with “Dreamgirls,” “Sister Act” and his one-man show “The Eve of Jackie Wilson.’
Audience members might remember “Big Mike” from Season 9 of “American Idol.” Lynche finished in fourth place that season, and “Idol” proved to launch his career as he has played jazz and blues clubs, arenas and opera halls across the nation in the 10 years since. He has released two studio albums and opened for Boyz II Men, Lalah Hathaway and Faith Evans.