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Opera and rock 'n' roll provided the soundtrack of 2012
Lawrence Brownlee’s hometown debut
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Lawrence Brownlee was in St. Petersburg, Russia, this week to sing at a Christmas-night concert with that city’s famed orchestra.
His appearance was part of the international Arts Square Festival, a grand stage of world culture — and par for the course for Brownlee.
The opera superstar, who is a Youngstown native and an East High graduate, regularly performs at the world’s top venues.
But in November, for the first time, he sang for his hometown.
In his Youngstown debut, Brownlee sang in Opera Western Reserve’s Nov. 30 production of “The Barber of Seville” at Stambaugh Auditorium.
It brought his career full-circle.
Brownlee’s spectacular Stambaugh performance was a long time coming.
It was a special night for the singer and for the 2,000 people in attendance. It’s also The Vindicator’s top entertainment story of the year.
Brownlee’s return was a fitting ending to a story that actually began a year earlier with the stunning announcement that he would star in “Barber.” That announcement kicked off months of anticipation that culminated with a warm and heartfelt reception for one of the biggest stars this city has ever produced.
Brownlee’s talent and drive got him to the top of his field. His allegiance to Youngstown made the story even better.
Here’s a look at the other top entertainment stories of the year:
111The Niles company is the new owner of the building that has housed the downtown rock’n’roll club since 1975. The company plans to gut and rehab the building, and then install a high-end burger restaurant in the space occupied by Cedar’s.
The club is entrenched as the region’s mecca for original music, and its proprietors, Mara Simon and Billy Danielson, have already begun looking for a new location in which to reopen.
11Arts and entertainment officials in the Valley have always believed that their industry was an economic power source. But they had never put a dollar amount on spending generated by arts and entertainment.
That changed in July when Power of the Arts, a committee of A&E leaders, released the results of a year-long study. In a nutshell, the study showed the arts generate $25.6 million in economic activity each year in the Valley, while supporting the equivalent of 930 jobs.
The study also found that the arts industry returns $2.5 million a year to local and state coffers in the form of taxes and fees.
The committee will use the study to demonstrate its clout and to help lure new business to the area.
11The dance school and performance company in downtown Youngstown celebrated half a century of existence this year. A pillar in the arts community, BWR marked the milestone with a gala event that lured the school’s top alumni back to town.
11The McDonough Museum of Modern Art brought Living As Form, a unique international traveling exhibition, to town this summer. The exhibition is more of a cultural practice than a traditional art genre. It was marked by unique events that were captured on video — a practice that turned life itself into art.
The most visible part of the exhibition was the Youngstown Complaints Choir. Also part of an international movement, the choir gathered residents’ complaints, set them to music and then performed on several occasions.
11In reaction to the ever-tightening financial squeeze facing it (and most orchestras), the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra further reduced the number of concerts it performs each year, going from 10 to six for the 2012-13 season.
Part of the problem is a dwindling fanbase. To combat that situation, the YSO implemented its Stained Glass Series this season, a free series of five concerts held in area churches.
11Once again, country music was king at the downtown Youngstown arena. Four of the biggest names in the field came to Covelli this year and played to capacity crowds: Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Eric Church and Chris Young. The trend will continue next year: Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts are already booked at Covelli in 2013.
11When Educational Media Foundation bought WRBP-FM 101.9, Youngstown’s powerful and popular urban-contemporary radio station, earlier this year, few thought anything would change.
They found out otherwise this month. The sale becomes finalized on the last day of the year. On the next day — Jan. 1 — the station will flip its format to Christian programming.
The sale is also bringing about the demise of WASN-AM 1500, the area’s urban-talk station, because it can’t stay afloat without JAMZ revenue.
11The inaugural Youngstown Film Festival was held in October with screenings at Stambaugh Auditorium, Oakland Center for the Arts and the Butler Institute of American Art.
The YFF was spearheaded by Michele Simonelli and showcased eight films, most of which were either made by area residents or had local ties.
22It was an unusually good year for premieres of plays and musicals written by Valley residents.
Among them were “Evil Dead,” a horror-satire comedy by Robert Dennick Joki; “Dog Days,” a World War II story by J.E. Ballantyne Jr.; “Gloria Birnbaum’s Broadway Debut,” by Bernie Appugliese; “5 One-Acts,” by Joki; “I Was Fine Before I Met You,” by Mike Forney; “Who Will Wipe My Tears Away,” by Earline Gilford-Weaver; and “An Evening in Michael Dempsey’s Shorts,” by Michael Dempsey.