The Pima County Fair Ground are located on Houghton Rd, in Tucson AZ, North of I-10 and south of Sahuarita Rd. Monday, April 18th is Senior Celebration Day at the Fair.

For more information and the Daily Schedule for the Pima County Fair visit their website. Click on the Daily Highlights on the left side bar to see the daily highlights for the 18th. Pima County Fair Website

This show will allow me to utilize some of the material that I have been rehearsing for my big Christmas show in December at Tucson Estates. The December show will be both a variety and Christmas show, but this show at the VA here in March will just include a few of the songs planned for the variety portion of that show and some of the music I have performed in previous shows. I’m planning on including music from two of my favorite stars, Julie Andrews and Liza Minnelli.

For those of you associated with the hospital, check the GECC Dining hall bulletin board for the exact date and time. Or contact me through the website for more information.

“Broadway and Beyond ” Variety Show to Be Held At Elgin Club to Benefit
Local Church Building Fund.

Local entertainer Suzanne Klasen, along with Rick Stahl of Sierra Vista, and Alma Dolores Dancers will bring an exciting array music and talent to the Elgin Club on Saturday, March 6th, 6:00 pm, to raise money for the Our Lady of the Angels Mission Foundation Building Fund.

The show titled “Broadway and Beyond” will feature a variety of Broadway and International song and dance. Suzanne Klasen, known for her repertoire of Broadway and American Standards, has won
numerous talent awards for her singing and dancing. Rick Stahl, an accomplished jazz pianist who performs with several jazz ensembles in the Sierra Vista area, will bring his vocal, piano and improvisational
skills to the event. This will mark Suzanne and Rick’s 4th collaborative effort after performing several successful shows together for the American Legion in Tucson. Their performance at the fund raiser
will include selections from George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rogers and Hammerstein. Dancers from the Alma Dolores International Dance Center, recipients of numerous awards for their performances of jazz,
contemporary, Flamenco, Mexican Folklorico and other styles of dance,
will share their high energy dancing at the event. Suzanne will also perform a special salute to entertainment icon Liza Minnelli. Members of the church will serve dessert, coffee, tea and
lemonade to guests.

Our Lady of the Angels is a Catholic mission church in Sonoita of St. Therese’s Parish in Patagonia. The parish has about 50 families in our area who attend 8:00 a.m. Sunday Mass in the “Red Roof Barn House”
off of Papago Springs road in Sonoita. Several years ago, a local benefactor donated land next door to this house on which they want to build a church facility. They would like to begin work soon on
their own building so that the church may better minister to all who reside in the Sonoita/Elgin community.

Tickets are currently on sale through Pat Carnevale at 455-5681, Suzanne Klasen at 455-5412. Suzanne will also be selling tickets on Thursdays at the Fuel Stop from 11:00 to 1:00. You can also get tickets from
Virginia at the Sonoita Library from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Fridays. Tickets are $15 in advanced and $20 at the door, if available. Seating is limited.

Perhaps the most noticeable feature is our new location for our listening center. Previously hard to find, it is now up and running on every page. If the music is distracting, simply push the pause button. We hope you like our new look.

Suzanne’s next performance will be today at the St. David Festival in St. David, Arizona. She will be sharing the stage with the dance group from Our Lady of the Mountian. She serve as hostess and provide vocal entertainment with her musical salute to one of her favorite stars, Liza Minnelli. We hope you’ll be able to join us for the fun filled event.

Here’s some more information about the festival:

” Saturday November 14, 2009 – Sunday November 15, 2009 from 10:00am – 5:00pm
Holy Trinity Monastery
Hwy 80 mile post 202.5
St. David, Arizona 85630

In November for over 25 years, Holy Trinity Monastery has gathered artists, craftsmen and entertainers for the annual Festival of the Arts. This year it will be held on Saturday and Sunday, November 14 & 15, and run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will over 160 participants with a wide variety of items. The beauty of the fall colors, numerous trees and water adds to this outdoor experience.

Bar-B-Q beef dinners in the dining room, Italian fare in the Outside Inn, hamburgers, hot dogs and nachos in La Fonda and salads in Fr. Louis Hall will satisfy any appetite. In addition, other booths will provide coffee, baked goods, soda and ice cream.

Entertainers will include The Arthritus Brothers String Band, Benson Barbershoppers, Dust Devil Band, Tongan Singers and Dancers, Panpipes musician Jorge Vasco and others.

New this year the first raffle prize is a week’s stay at a time-share in Orlando, Florida. There are also cash prizes of $500 plus $500 in other amounts. The monastery bookstore has books, gifts, works from local artists, greeting cards and CDs. The thrift store has bargains galore. The bakery booth will have Benedictine Bread, tamales and pies. The used-book kiosk holds a wide selects of fiction and non-fiction.

Masses will be on Saturday at 5 p.m.with the Schmidt Family, Sunday at 10:30 with the Tongan Choir and at Noon with the Holy Trinity Music Ministry. Located on Hwy 80 between Benson and Tombstone – Hwy 80 milepost 202.5
Website: http://www.holytrinitymonastery.org”

As the title might suggest the show will feature the Broadway music of Rogers and Hammerstein. Suzanne and Rick also selected some of their all time favorite music from other composers like George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and international favorites. For the Christmas segment, Suzanne and Rick Selected song that represent their favorite things about Christmas. Suzanne and Rick are sure that their favorite things about Christmas are yours as well.

With first spectacular musical performances, sing-a-longs, and audience participation, this show is great fun for all ages.

Show Time: Wednesday, Dec 16th 2009, 7:00 pm
Where: Tucson Estates Multipurpose Room

http://www.tucsonestates.com/

This series is sponsored by American Legion Post 102. Proceeds benefit the VA, Youth and Auxiliary. Tickets are available at the Tucson Estates Ticket Office. Ticket Office hours of operations are Mon., Wed, & Fri 9:30AM to 11:30AM only. (520) 883-1440. Tickets, if available, will also be sold at the door.

To update Suzanne’s performance schedule, she has a few minor engagements between now and December, but her big event is her return engagement at Tucson Estates to present another Holiday and Christmas Spectacular. Once again she will be joined by jazz pianist and singer Rick Stahl. This year’s collaboration is titled “My Favorite Things”. The first half will be an all new variety performance featuring singing, dancing and spectacular costumes all set to the music of the Broadway and Jazz favorites like Roger & Hammerstein, Cole Porter, and many more. The show will also feature a variety international selections from Mexico, Spain and around the world. Rick and Suzanne also plan to involve the audience through sing-a-longs and interactive musical improvisation. The second act of the show will put everyone in a Christmas mood with sacred and contemporary Christmas favorites. Contact us at Sonoita Singer for Ticket Information.

I’m very excited to report that I placed second over all in the 20 and over division at the National Finals of the Showstopper talent competition. I performed a Song and Dance Routine to the classic Kander and Ebb song “New York, New York”. Receiving a Platinum award level, I won the 20 and over Song and Dance category. The Song and Dance category requires competitors to combine vocal and dance technique into one seamless performance.

This was my third year to compete in the Showstopper competition. I received Platinum awards for the last three years, but this is my first year to “place” in competitive 20 and over division. Performing for the judges puts much more pressure on me than performing for an audience. I know the judges are looking for good dance technique and strong vocal quality. I also have to make sure that I connect with them during the performance. Competing in the Showstopper competitions has helped me to tremendously improve my overall performance quality. I’m thrilled to have improved my scores every year and continued my development as a performer.

October 11th, 7:00 Buena Auditorium, Sierra Vista, AZ, The Annual Forgach Benefit Show. This years them will be Salute To Our Troops.

December 17th, 6:00 pm, Tucson Estates Multipurpose Room, Tucson AZ. “Christmas in New York.” accompanied by Rick Stahl. This show will feature Broadway favorites and both Traditional and Contemporary Christmas music.

The evening was a musical journey around the world through song and dance, with Suzanne providing the vocals and the Alma Dolores Dancers providing the footwork. Suzanne even joined them for the Mexican Folklorico dances. The dancers were all happy to share their talents for a worthy cause and Suzanne was thrilled with the positive response from the audience members. Suzanne sang songs from many different Broadway shows including Cats, Evita, Les Miserables, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Oklahoma and South Pacific.

The dancers performed Flamenco, Irish, Polynesian, Hip Hop, Clogging and Mexican dances. Audience members commented that enjoyed Suzanne’s singing, and loved the costumes and energy of the show. Some of the other parish members are interested in having Suzanne perform another show in Patagonia in September or October to help raise money for the church’s general fund. Suzanne is excited about another opportunity to volunteer her time to help out her church community.

I’ve also put together the list of songs and a performance order for the show. New to this show will be a medley of songs from two great Rogers and Hammerstein musicals, South Pacific and Oklahoma. I included the Oklahoma medley because the show will take place at the Elgin Club in Elgin, Arizona where much of the movie version of the musical was filmed. In addition to songs from these and other Broadway shows, the benefit will include dances from Spain, Ireland, Polynesia and Mexico.

Ticket sales are also picking up as we move closer to the performance date and it looks like we have a strong possibility of a sell out. Please contact us here at Sonoita Singer if you are interested in purchasing tickets. Showtime is 6:00 pm Saturday March 8th, at the Elgin Club in Elgin, Az. Ticket price includes a Mexican Dinner and the Show, and are priced at $20 per person. All proceeds benefit the Our Lady of the Angels Building Foundation.

My first engagement was my long planned cabaret style show at Tucson Estates. You might call it a “Matinee Cabaret” as the show was at 2:00 in the afternoon. One of many clubs in this active retirement community, “The Cat Mountain Jamboree” which usually hosts weekly Blue Grass, Gospel, Folk and Country Jams, booked me for the performance and handles all of the business aspects of the show. The members were wonderful hosts, helping me set up all my sound equipment and emceeing the show. Then challenge for me was singing for nearly two hours. The show was divided into two segments with a 15 minute intermission between. That intermissions allowed for the audience to stretch their legs and get refreshments while I rested my voice for a few minutes and changed costumes for the second act.

During the first act, I sang standards with jazz style arrangements. I like these arrangements because they allow for a more informal and personal connection with the audience. When I sing song like “It Had To Be You” and “Someone To Watch Over Me”, I try to pick different members of the audience and make a personal connection with them as I sing. The stage was set up so that I could come down and walk among the audience. It also gave me a chance to shake hands with a few of the people that I knew in the audience. Several of the audience members commented that they loved hearing those old songs and that they brought back many good memories.

The second section of the show had a more theatrical mood. It included songs from Broadway shows with more dramatic, theatrical arrangements. With each song I tried to create the mood of the original Broadway show. The audience members seemed very familiar with most of the songs in this segment also.

I finished the show with one of my favorites, “The Girl In 14 G”, a really fun song about a girl who gets what she thinks will be a quiet apartment and then she finds she’s got an apartment between an opera singer and a jazz singer who seem to practice day and night. It is a fun song that works really well for singers like me who like to sing both Jazz and Classical music, as well as show tunes.

After packing up all my sound equipment and saying my goodbyes to my gracious hosts, I headed for Sierra Vista to perform for the Cochise Children’s Choir Benefit Gala. They too were very gracious hosts, and I also saw a few familiar faces around the audience and also in the entertainment line-up. Our jazz trio of Rick Stahl on key board and vocals, Pete on the Saxophone, and me, providing additional vocals preformed around 8:00 pm. We sang some of the songs from my earlier show, but this time with live instruments. I really liked singing with the live instruments, especially when the saxophone and I seemed to resonate together. There were many fund raising activities going on through out the evening including a silent auction and “job shadowing” auction. The evening seemed to be a big success in raising money for the children’s choir, and I was glad to have the opportunity to contribute to the entertainment portion of the show.

I hope to post some pictures and video from the Tucson Estates show soon.

I’ll have to pack up right after my show in Tucson and head straight to Sierra Vista, but I should be able to make it in plenty of time for our time slot which will be no earlier than 6:30. The theme for the event is “Love is in the Air”, so we are going to pull love songs from my Broadway and Standards repertoire for us to perform together.

The event raises funds for the Cochise Children’s Choir’s general fund. I am very much looking forward for the opportunity to work with Rick and helping out this worthy organization.

Saturday, September 15th, the Huachuca Youth Football and Cheer Association will be holding their Season Opening Ceremony around 12:00 between the Mighty Might and Pee Wee football games. They plan to have a Color Guard there and have asked me to sing the National Anthem. This will be my third year in a row to have this honor. I am always thrilled when groups asked me to sing anything patriotic, especially the National Anthem.

The dancers from the Alma Dolores International Dance Center will be performing several numbers with the band including High School Musical and Greased Lightening. Alma has asked me to sing “All That Jazz” from the musical Chicago in a production number with the band and dancers. We’ve been rehearsing for several weeks and we are all very excited about tonight’s show. In addition, there will be other guest artist joining the Buena Jazz Band.

I am very excited to be part of this fun variety show.

The group was made up of former and active members of the U. S. Navy, Marines and Coast Guard and their spouses ranging in age from around 40 to their late 80′s. Many of the member of the group have known each other for many years through the association. Their familiarity with each-other made this show especially fun for me.

I printed out a list of the songs that I sing in my “Sentimental Journey” show and had the event’s organizer suggest audience members to which we could dedicate each song. Having an extra meaning to each of the songs in the show really personalized the songs and added a bit of humor to the show. My personal favorite was singing “Some One to Watch Over Me” and dedicating it to the two gentlemen in the audience who were Pearl Harbor survivors.

This was such a friendly warm group of people for which to sing I couldn’t have had a better time, especially when they were kind enough to give me a standing ovation at the end of the show.

The performance will be in the clubhouse area of the Tucson Estates neighborhood from roughly 2 pm to 4 pm. The show will be a combination of my Sentimental Journey collection with a smattering of Broadway numbers.

The recital will be at the Buena Performing Arts Center in Sierra Vista at 7:00 pm.

My next singing performance will be Friday June 8th at the Alma Dolores International Dance Center Spring Recital. As part of the Flamenco section of the show, I will be performing a solo song and dance to the music of Bizet’s Carmen. I plan to perform this same song and dance at the Showstoppers competition in Anaheim.

Looking way into the future, I have booking for Saturday Feb 9th, 2008 at Tucson Estates. One of my friends from the Veterans Hospital lives there and has booked me for show at the clubhouse.

I know its been a little slow here, but I hope to ramp it up soon. Details on an upcoming performance will be posted soon.

You can either click on the Listening Station link in the top navbar of the page (second tab,) on the far right Listening Center block, or click on this Listening Center link. I will probably go in and re-record some of these songs over the next couple of weeks and try to get more perfected versions of these songs online over the next couple of weeks. I will also try to record the rest of the Great American Song Book show and add it to the Sentimental Journey collection.

I hope you enjoy these songs and they give you a bit of an idea as to what my live shows are like.

I am currently hard at work recording some song material to upload to the site for your listening pleasure. My husband has gotten me a new sound capture card and some mixing software to create the files.  Shouldnt be a whole lot longer until the first batch is uploaded.