GERSHWIN SWINGS

The Barclay Jazz & Beyond Orchestra kicks off Irvine Barclay Theatre’s 35th anniversary season with Gershwin Swings, a celebration of the enduring music of George and Ira Gershwin, the brothers who composed some of the most memorable and beloved songs of the 20th century. Under the direction of Music Director Shelly Berg, you'll journey through the Gershwin’s unforgettable repertoire—ranging from exhilarating swing like “Fascinating Rhythm,” to deeply moving melodies such as “Someone to Watch Over Me” and including a new arrangement of "Rhapsody in Blue" created just for this concert.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS 

Patti Austin got her start in show business at the Apollo Theatre when she was 4 years old.  She rocketed to stardom and the top of the Billboard charts with “Baby, Come to Me,” a duet with James Ingram.  Patti’s Grammy-nominated album, For Ella, featured several Gershwin songs, and she followed that up with a Grammy-winning album, Avant Gershwin. 

Cuban-born jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, Paquito D’Rivera, has won 16 Grammy Awards across a spectrum of music, traversing jazz, classical, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and more.

Shelly Berg—an in-demand music director, bandleader, arranger, composer and pianist—is the artistic director for The Jazz Cruises, artistic advisor for the Jazz Roots series at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami and Dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.