The sounds of classic music could be heard from Inlet to Old Forge over the weekend of July 25 and 26 as the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performed at Arrowhead Park on Friday evening and young singing sensation NIck Ziobro blew away a capacity crowd at VIEW’s Gould Hall on Saturday.
The cocktail party held at The Wood’s Inn prior to the RPO performance, was attended by more people than in the event’s 16-year history, said Jerry Dupuis, chairman of the Fulton Chain of Lakes Performing Arts Council, the group responsible for bringing the symphony to Inlet year after year.
The variety of beautifully presented fare caused many to suggest that next year, the hosts should change the name from cocktail to dinner party.
Following the party, RPO Conductor Michael Butterman led the orchestra through a program that included classic works by Rossini, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky as well as a medley from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, and patriotic tunes that included a tribute to all branches of the armed forces.
On Saturday night, Nick Ziobro, channeling his inner Sinatra, continually brought the audience to its feet with his classic renditions of tunes from the Great American Songbook, many of which are included in his debut album, A Lot of Livin’ to Do.
According to VIEW Perform-ing Arts Director Alan Saban, the Ziobro performance attracted the largest audience ever at Gould Hall with 232 tickets sold.