Michael Feinstein and the Pasadena Pops celebrate Gershwin and Friends
By Susan Motander
Add a Saturday night picnic before an evening of Gershwin and Gershwin-inspired music in the wonderful Los Angeles County Arboretum, and you have the recipe for a delightful evening. Such was the case last Saturday night, on Aug. 19, with perfect weather as an added bonus.
The Pasadena Pops hold concerts under the stars at the Arboretum each summer. A large number of those include Michael Feinstein as principal conductor. He held the baton on Saturday to conduct the music of George Gershwin – the master of 20th century American music — and other composers inspired by him. He was joined by soloists Rachel York and Jordon Danica. York’s voice is a powerful instrument and she truly seems to have fun sharing her gift. But Danica, who is currently appearing here in Los Angeles in the Broadway hit “Hamilton,” moved the audience to its feet.
Part of the pleasure in the concert on Saturday was discovering good friends already seated at the table to which they were assigned. One who seemed to especially enjoy this was five-year-old Daniel Baker-Garcia. His joy in watching the performances and listening to the music enhanced everyone else’s pleasure as well. At one point he even began dancing a five-year-old’s version of the Mambo to Lenoard Bernstein’s music.
However it was the dance duo that most fascinated him. At one point during an impressive lift, Daniel’s eyes grew huge and he simply muttered, “Wow”! That rather summed up the evening.
