Daphne Alderson

The annual Valentine’s Concert of the ArtsLink Concert Series has become one of the brightest events of the winter season in the Wetzel-Tyler area. The event, which features popular and jazz music of the highest order, also boasts a smorgasbord of gourmet desserts worth braving the cold to sample. Local sponsor for this event is the Mensore Distributing Co.

This year’s Valentine’s Concert, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20, at the PPG McKenna Pavilion in Proctor, just north of New Martinsville, will feature cabaret singer Daphne Alderson of Pittsburgh.

“Daphne Alderson has a great thing going. . . artistic shows that spotlight her personal charisma and beautifully rendered love songs,” wrote the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Hailed as “an artist of dignified passion,” Daphne has brought her show to audiences of all ages. Debuting at the acclaimed Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, she’s sung at venues ranging from elegant New York cabarets to concert halls, churches, and museums in communities throughout the region. A warm, radiant performer with a broad repertoire ranging from Irving Berlin to the French chansons of Edith Piaf, Daphne paints a rich palette infused with life adventures in a show that is intimate, funny, and often bittersweet.

Daphne’s repertoire of programs include “Street Songs: The World of Hammerstein and Sondheim,” “An American Girl in Paris,” “World War II,” and “Dear Heart,” a program of American, French, and Italian movie songs. Daphne performs with one to four accompanists including some of Pittsburgh’s finest jazz and classical musicians. Residency activities include master classes and educational programs including “Minstrels and Dragons,” and “Street Songs: The Music of Hammerstein and Sondheim.”

Alderson’s performance this year is entitled “Songs that Oscar Taught Me”. She affirms that Oscar Hammerstein occupies a revered place in the annals for musical theater. Alderson states, “Oscar Hammerstein was an idealist who loved life and believed in people with all of their foibles and strengths. When I read or sing his lyrics, I feel enveloped in that love, that hope for humanity and the joy of living, loving, and gratitude. He also was a fierce fighter for the common good and abhorred injustice, racism, and cruelty, a gentle soul who was also given to fits of fury if the situation demanded. I am in love with this wonderful guy.”

Brian Feldmeier, a professional caterer and event planner, as well as an ArtsLink Board member, will chair the Valentine’s Concert event and will supervise the gourmet smorgasbord.

Admission is $10 for members and $15 for non-members; $20 for member families and $25 for non-member families. Reservations are requested and may be made by calling Donna Earley, coordinator, at 304-455-2ART (304-455-2278) or 304-337-9477.

Additional performances in the ArtsLink Concert Series will include The Fabulous Shpielkehs at Magnolia High School on March 14 and Resonance Percussion on March 28 at Tyler Consolidated High School.

Funding for this program made possible with financial assistance from ArtsLink, West Virginia Northern Community College, the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPat), and J. C. Mensore Distributing, local sponsor. West Virginia Northern Community College and WETZ/WYMJ are also partners in this event.

ArtsLink is committed to providing universal accessibility wherever possible. Persons with special needs may contact them at 304-455-2ART (304-455-2278) to request assistance.