ONTARIO CHAFFEY COMMUNITY SHOW BAND
https://www.showband.net
Dr. Gabe Petrocelli, Director
R. Jack Mercer, Founder

TO: Our Show Band Family
FROM: Your Band Director
WHAT'S UP? "A Visit To Broadway"
WHERE? Merton E. Hill Auditorium
WHEN? Monday, April 14, 2025
WHAT TIME? 7:30 pm Sharp
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? $0000000000.00

Dear Friends and Music Lovers,

The musicians of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band and Bob Mattus & Kay Alexander are proud to present "A Visit To Broadway" on Monday, April 14, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.  The performance will be held at Merton E. Hill Auditorium located on the campus of Chaffey High School at the corner of Fifth Street and N. Euclid Ave. in Ontario.  The Woodwind Celebration Ensemble will present a pre-concert recital in the auditorium lobby at 7:00 p.m.  Complimentary coffee and cookies will be served in the lobby prior to the concert.  The performance is FREE to the public.

Our April concert features an exciting repertoire of hit songs from Broadway.  Included on the program are memorable melodies from the pens of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, Leonard Berstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber and many others.

Special guest artists include vocalists Aimee Nolte, Sheila Ruff, Bobby Collins, and Show Band musician and singer Natasha Le.

Aimee Nolte is an outstanding jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and YouTube creator.  She started playing the piano at the age of three and began taking vocal lessons at the age of thirteen.  Her love for music grew as she got older, and she eventually decided to pursue a career in music.  Nolte attended Brigham Young University, where she received a bachelor's degree in music with an emphasis in jazz piano.

Aimee is known for her smooth alto voice and improvisational skills, as well as her ability to create fresh and engaging arrangements of jazz standards.  Nolte has released several albums as a leader, composer, arranger and producer.  Up Til Now, from 2006, Looking for the Answers, 2008 with guitarist Hideaki Tokunaga, Looking For the Answers, 2019 which includes an intimate duet with bassist John Clayton, and Lighten Up, from 2020 with sidemen, Mike Scott, guitar; James Yoshizawa, drums and percussion; and bassist Bruce Lett.  She will be singing a number of Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway hits that include "In My Little Corner," "Something Good," "I Have Dreamed," "We Kiss In The Shadow," and Gershwin's memorable hit song "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess.

Sheila Ruff has had a lifetime of singing all across the U.S.A.  She worked as a vocalist for the Tony Barrasso Orchestra, the Bill Black Combo, and Monte Bleu Orchestra at the Boca Raton Hotel and Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas.  Also, she has sung with Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley to name a few and always looks forward to singing with the Show Band.  Sheila is going to sing two memorable songs from Funny Girl, a 1963 musical based loosely on the life and career of Broadway star Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nick Arnstein.  The selections include "People" and "I'm The Greatest Star."

Bobby Collins is and outstanding singer and performer.  He is excited to join the Chaffey Community Show Band for this fabulous performance.  A consummate song & dance man, Bobby has been performing on stage for the past 35 years.  Favorite credits include Don Lockwood in Singing in the Rain, Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein, Leo Bloom in The Producers, Charlie Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along, and loads of other productions and special events.  He has performed and recorded Broadway hits both regionally and abroad, including work at both Capitol Records in Hollywood and Abbey Road Studios in London.  Bobby is the Managing Artistic Director for Inland Valley Repertory Theatre (IVRT) and, by day, enjoys being the principal of a local middle school.  Bobby will be featured in "Cabaret" and "What Kind of Fool Am I."

The concert also features Show Band musician and vocalist Natasha Le who will be singing "Memory" from the musical Cats, and the outstanding musicians of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band.  They will be performing two Broadway show medleys, "Highlights from The Music Man" and "Highlights form West Side Story."

The performance will be narrated by former City of Ontario Mayor, San Bernardino County Supervisor, and current Board President of The Friends of the Show Band, Gary Ovitt; and retired Chaffey District Teacher, Principal, and Director, Susan Petrocelli.

Click to download this Flyer

Please be sure to join us for an exciting evening of Broadway show tunes and do not forget to invite your family and friends!  You can also support the Show Band by visiting and feeding our Hungry Tuba located in the lobby of the auditorium.  This concert will be broadcast on local Ontario cable Channel 3.  Check your cable listings for the date and time.  For additional information regarding these performances or the rest of Show Band's upcoming concert season, please check our website at www.showband.net and follow the Show Band on Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram.

The community can help support the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band by becoming a patron of The Friends of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band.  Become a Bronze Baton donor for $25-$249; Steel Baton $250-$499; Silver Baton $500-$999; Gold Baton $1,000-$1,500; Platinum Baton $2,500; Emerald Baton $5,000 and Diamond Baton $10,000.  Individuals or businesses may also become a Show Sponsor for $1,000.  For more information on sponsoring a show, contact director Dr. Gabe Petrocelli at gabe@showband.net.  All Donor names will be included on every program and our website for the entire concert season.  Baton and Show Sponsors will also receive complementary DVDs of each performance.  The Friends of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band is a registered charity under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 C (3); EIN # 46-1422958.  Checks may be made out to: Friends of the OCCSB, P/O Box 1512, Ontario, CA 91762.

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The Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band was founded in 1985 by R. Jack Mercer and is now under the direction of Dr. Gabe Petrocelli with assistant directors David Schaafsma and Pat Arnold.  Band members represent at least two dozen communities throughout Southern California.  Adult and student musicians are invited to participate.  No auditions!  Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from 7 to 9:00 p.m. at the Chaffey High School Jack Mercer Band Room.  The band performs monthly concerts in the Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium and at other venues throughout the community.  All performances are free to the public.

Your Band Director,
Gabe