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MSO pops guest gives voice to depth of Gershwin legacy

Singer Julie Budd has performed with Sinatra and has sung at Carnegie Hall.

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer 12:35 PM Friday, November 13, 2009

MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Symphony Orchestra’s got rhythm, it’s got music, and it’s got a woman on vocals for its annual Conductor Auction Pops concert Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Dave Finkelman Auditorium.

That woman is Julie Budd, whose credits range from the stage to the screens, both big and small. She repeatedly appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” as a child, performed with Frank Sinatra and as an adult has performed at Tel Aviv’s Israel Performing Arts Center, on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall. Having appeared at Middletown’s pops concert several years ago, she returns to sing a selection of hits by George  Gershwin.

“No matter what you do it’s going to be OK. It’s Gershwin,” Budd said.

Unlike some other composers of the early 20th century, Gershwin orchestrated his own music, which is part of what made him stand out, she said.

“George was a classical musician. When (the songs) were scored, they were scored with this instrumentation in mind,” Budd said.

Budd will sing Gershwin standards such as “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” as well as a medley of Gershwin hits that will include a tune George’s lyricist brother, Ira, considered his tribute to George after George died in 1937.

Budd didn’t want to say what that well-known tune was, but she did want to give credit to Ira for his contribution to the Gershwin legacy.

“A large part of that was the words, and a lot of that was Ira. He gave you something to say,” Budd said.

Asked to explain Gershwin’s appeal, Budd said, “It’s everything. It’s that whole era. It’s when you dressed up to go to the theater. It’s the poignancy of what they wrote.”

Carmon DeLeone, the symphony’s musical director, said the concert would open with just the orchestra performing Gershwin songs, including a medley from “Porgy and Bess.” The instrumental part of the show would also include tunes by another sibling songwriting team, the Sherman brothers, who wrote the songs for “Mary Poppins.”

Also during the evening will be the results of the conductor’s auction, the orchestra’s annual fundraiser. The three guest conductor candidates, Dick Casey, Helen Stevens-Gleason and Betty Lou Nein, have held various fundraisers throughout the summer. Each will conduct the orchestra in a song of their choosing. The candidate who raised the most money will be announced that night and lead the orchestra in a rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever.”