Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel announced today that due to circumstances beyond their control, the concert on July 14 will no longer feature Skid Row. Great White will perform at Pepsi’s Rockin’ The Downs Summer Concert Series.
Great White has an arsenal of songs that include the Grammy nominated Best Hard Rock Performance hit, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” Great White has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, has six Top 100 Billboard hits, nine Top 200 Billboard albums, two platinum albums, and clocked the top of MTV four times.
Please note that tickets purchased for the Skid Row concert will still be honored on that date. Those wishing for a refund may do so through their point of purchase. Info can be found inside of your ticket confirmation email. Tickets purchased at the Lucky Treasures gift shop may be refunded during normal gift shop hours.
Tickets are available for Great White right now on BataviaConcerts.com
When Brett Young began work on his latest album, “Weekends Look A Little Different These Days,” he faced a whole new challenge as a songwriter. He had strived to be authentic in his writing, delving into subject matter that allowed him to draw from his personal experiences.
But that approach wasn’t going to work on the “Weekends” album, especially if he was trying to write about where his life is now.
Married to his long-time girlfriend, which he literally says is the love of his life, and a father of two little girls, Young knew his happy life wouldn’t make for a compelling album.
“It would have been really tempting to just write basically a lullabies record, love songs about my wife and songs about my children,” Young said in a late-April phone interview. “So the challenge was that you can’t write just about what you’re going through in your life right now. That’s going to be boring.”
Fortunately for Young, he was working with some co-writers who have been around the block and knew how to put an authentic personal touch on a lyric and honestly convey a variety of emotions over the course of an album.
“It’s hard when you’re in the happiest place in your life, and you’ve got to still write a sad song, and we did,” Young said. “We did that, but we did it through a lot of conversations. I’d get in with a songwriter or a couple of songwriters, and I’d be like, ‘Tell me about your worst heartbreak. Explain that to me.’ We started having to go down that path, and that was a new stage of songwriting for me. Don’t just do what you’re feeling right now; here’s a topic, go back to a place where you did feel this way and write it. And we did that. I think it stretched me in a really good way as a songwriter.”
This new approach to songwriting is very evident on “Weekends Look A Little Different These Days,” and Young has essentially crafted an album that touches on the long and winding road he has traveled with his wife, Taylor.
Young, though, didn’t want to tell a linear story about his history with Taylor. Instead, the songs on “Weekends” feel like snapshots from various moments of their journey, which included three breakups before they decided they truly should be together.
“For us, our story wasn’t linear anyway,” Young said. “I met Taylor, this Thanksgiving, it will be 16 years ago. So we have a long, storied history.”
The album culminates with the song “This,” which describes how the life Young and Taylor have now has made the heartaches and good times from their dating years completely worth it.
“That one really fell out quick,” Young said of “This.” “It got me talking about my family (with Taylor), and it immediately made me realize it doesn’t matter, three breakups, 20 breakups, whatever, it was all part of our journey to get here, to this.”
Like his history with Taylor, Young’s musical life has been a journey that had its share of frustrations before things fell into place for the 42-year-old singer/songwriter.
He began by playing covers of other peoples’ songs, first at restaurants and other venues around his Orange County, California, home base and later in the big city of Los Angeles, while he independently released a pair of EPs and three albums, hoping to get a record deal.
But Young’s career remained stuck in neutral until he realized his songs actually were well suited to country music, and he moved to Nashville. There, Young quickly made contacts and, within nine months, signed with Big Machine Records.
In short order, he was in a studio making his self-titled debut album with noted producer Dann Huff. The album’s advance single, “Sleep Without You,” reached No. 2 on “Billboard” magazine’s Country Airplay chart. Then another single, “In Case You Didn’t Know,” topped the Country Airplay chart and went top 20 on “Billboard’s” all genre Hot 100 chart. The hits have kept coming since, with his second album, “Ticket To L.A.,” adding “Here Tonight” and “Catch” and “Weekends Look A Little Different These Days” adding “Lady” to his list of chart-topping singles.
For a while, Young worried that he might have to leave even some of his popular ballads out of his concerts to keep his shows from getting too sleepy for audiences. But as his current shows demonstrate, he’s found that his fans aren’t worried about the pace of his concerts.
“What we’ve found out is that people aren’t thinking about that at my shows. They bought a Brett Young ticket. They know the music,” Young said. “They came to hear the music that they know. So every time we try to kind of inauthentically ramp it up for the sake of ramping it up, they’ve felt like they missed out on a song or two they wanted to hear. So it’s been less about the setlist and more about paying attention to my fan base and what they’re actually coming to the show for.”
Brett Young performs at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Saturday.
Country music recording artist Craig Morgan, with hits such as "That's What I Love About Sunday," "Almost Home," "Redneck Yacht Club," "Little Bit of Life," and "International Harvester," brought his tour into Batavia on Friday with a stop at Batavia Downs.
Opening for Morgan was Drake White as part of the summer's Rockin' the Downs concert series.
This Friday, the show will get a little more rockus with Skid Row taking the stage.
Members of High Pines continue on the Center Street stage. Photo Steve Ognibene
Bass guitar and kick drums replaced the thud of thunder the rest of the day on Saturday, allowing the rock to keep on rolling the rest of the day and into the evening for the 2023 Ramble Music and Arts Fest.
Paul Draper, with his band Shotgun Pauly, gets the Ramble going again after a rain delay on Saturday. Photo by Howard Owens.
An unexpected thunderstorm at about 1 p.m. on Saturday couldn't keep the Batavia Ramble and Arts Fest from rolling on, though it did put the music on pause for about an hour.
Paul Draper, one of the festival's organizers, said the music will continue throughout the day, pausing only for more thunder if it comes back.
Bands will continue to take the stage as scheduled, Draper said, just before his band, Shotgun Pauly, started its 2:20 p.m. scheduled set about 10 minutes late, giving him and his guys only 10 minutes to perform.
"We just keep an eye on it," Draper said. "We'll pause and pick up as the weather dictates. We can only plan so much, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to the weather."
He said plenty of people were sticking around, and the sun had come back out, so, he said, "I still think it's going to be a good day."
Batavia Concert Band opens its 99th season Wednesday in Centennial Park. The free seven-week series is at 7 p.m. Wednesdays through the summer. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Centennial Park came alive again Wednesday with the sounds of Batavia Concert Band's music in its 99th season, and the evening included a recognition of GO ART!'s support, and a tribute to former music teachers Neil and Nancy Hartwick, who left indelible notes on the hearts of many former music students from the city school district.
Batavia Concert Band presented GO ART! with the Friend of the Band Award for giving a grant of $5,000 that will be used for equipment, licensing music, chairs, sound, and percussion instruments, band leader Jason Smith said.
Neil Hartwick was a prominent presence at the Batavia City School District, and Nancy taught mostly at Attica and at times in Batavia, while both were adored and respected for their talent roles as musical leaders in the community, band member and tuba player Peter Mark said.
“They were both wonderful people. She was a flutist, and Neil was clarinet and saxophone. Back in high school, I had him during my years in 1970 and ’71. I was out by then, but he had an excellent jazz band and he and the Sertoma Club, along about the early 70s, somewhere in there, were the ones that formed the Batavia Pageant of Bands.
"So if you're familiar with that era, you may remember the Memorial Day weekend with all of these bands from all over the area coming down and marching through the streets and having a great time,” Mark said. “Neil and Nancy were both really close to their students. And most of us that came through a program with Neil or Nancy just remember they were wonderful friends. They were more than just teachers, more than just the average teacher. They were friends with all of their students. We had a great time with them.”
When Neil died in 2017, Nancy asked that a Memorial Fund be established to benefit Batavia Concert Band, and memorials have gone to the fund ever since. Earlier this year, Nancy died in January, and the fund was renamed the Neil and Nancy Hartwick Memorial Fund, and their wish was to support the concert band via memorial contributions, Mark said.
“We've named the fund the Neil and Nancy Hartwick fund in honor of both of them," Mark said. "And former students contribute to that fund that we pay, we have other people as well, of course, and to keeping their legacy going.”
The concert band will play a seven-week free series at Centennial Park at 7 p.m. every Wednesday through the summer.
To donate, please make your check payable to: The Batavia Concert Band, and Mail to: Batavia Concert Band, PO Box 1705, Batavia, NY, 14021-1705. On the bottom of your check, please indicate the name Nancy Hartwick. Or those with a Venmo account, send to @bataviaconcertband.
William Franz performed on bagpipes. Photo by Howard Owens.
The skies may have been overcast, but the local talent shone through in Jackson Square on Friday night with the first of two Homegrown Concerts, hosted by Bill and Kay McDonald.
A second featuring young local talent, and some mature folks, is scheduled for Friday, June 30. The showtime is 6 p.m.
On the bill for the next show: William Franz (bagpipes), Leah Ford (guitar), Nolen Wright (guitar), Ayralynn Thompson (ukelele), and Quinn Karcher (accordion), along with Deanna Spiotta and Don Thomas and Steve Kruppner.
The evening's entertainment is rounded out with the Ghostriders and the Old Hippies.
Valerian Ruminski’s talent has been appreciated for decades, and even as a young boy at St. Andrews in Buffalo, if there was any time left toward the end of the day, his biggest fans would make a request.
“The nuns would say, ‘Marty, sing us something.’ Marty was my real name, Valerian was my father’s name so I took that as my stage name, so they’d say, 'Marty, oh, sing us something,' I was always singing at the drop of a hat when I was a kid. I never thought that it was gonna be a career,” the veteran singing basso contante said during an interview with The Batavian. “But as I got a little older, I went to Canisius High School and was in the choir, and then when I was a senior, my teacher took me aside and said, you know, he says, out of the hundreds of students that I have, every couple of years one comes along that I have to tell them that they should pursue a career in music. And you're the one … he was strongly advising me that I had, you know, ample talents in that area.”
And, although Ruminski didn’t exactly follow the path to classical fame he’s now known for decades later (he was waylaid by an Alaskan fishing boat adventure), he has several accolades under his belt, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Orlando Opera, Danish National Opera, Geneva Light Opera, New York Symphonic Ensemble, Lincoln Center, Calgary Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria and Pasadena Opera, to name a few.
Soon the artistic director and founder of Nickel City Opera can add one more venue to his repertoire. He will be bringing — and playing the lead — in “The Barber of Seville” at 7 p.m. Monday at Stuart Steiner Theatre, 1 College Road, Batavia.
When the truck rolls up to deliver, this show promises a 21-piece orchestra, veteran actors, polished sets — doors, walls, props, costumes, makeup, wigs — and a completely professional set-up for the most famous comic opera in the world in the last 200 years, Ruminski said.
Before jumping straight into the show, The Batavian asked Ruminski about his detour to Alaska when he was supposed to be attending college back in the day.
“Yeah, I lived on a boat. I worked at a fishing cannery for about a year when I was 19 - 20 years old. I wanted to get away from it all, I wanted to have a band. You know, I had a techno band, like Depeche Mode. And I wanted to buy equipment for that, and my friend said we could work on a fishing boat, and we could make a lot of money in that summer,” he said. “So we didn't make lots of money. We made some money. And I bought a 63 VW microbus, and I drove down to Los Angeles, and I lived on the beach. And sort of had a wandering night and 20-year-old-adventure, and then eventually came back to Buffalo, because my teacher from high school said you should come back to Buffalo and get a free education at Buffalo Opera Chorus… and you can start singing, so that's what did it, so I came back.”
He took voice at the University at Buffalo and was put into Buffalo Opera Chorus, taught by the director of the company, and then was accepted into Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts, where “you’re like one of the few hundred people that gets chosen every year to go there,” he said.
“And I made my Met debut the year after I graduated from the academy,” he said.
At 29, he was an apprentice for the Santa Fe Opera and was hired to do a show in New York City. While there, a woman from the Met was there with a man scoping out Placido Domingo. They were later asked what they thought of Domingo’s performance. They liked him, Ruminski said, but wanted to know, “who’s the Russian bass?”
Valerian Ruminski in character, courtesy of his website
“They like that,” Ruminski said with a smile in his voice. “And I've constantly gotten jobs singing in Russian because my name is Valerian Ruminski. And they think that I'm Polish or Russian, but I'm as American as can be. But they hire me for these jobs because the marquee looks good … they put me on the top of the marquee, and they said they didn't want a guy named Johnny Smith on the top of the marquee because all the other singers were from Russia.”
He doesn’t argue that misperception, as it “gets me jobs,” he said. Of course, if the name was an empty vessel, there wouldn’t be the resume that exists for Ruminski. His performances have met with many favorable reviews, including from critic Oliver Munar:
"As Prince Germin in the final act, bass Valerian Ruminski turns in a standout performance. Ruminski’s vibrant voice filled the auditorium with a warmth and sensitivity that underscored his character’s love for Tatyana. On this night, Ruminski offered a truly endearing portrayal that elicited one of the warmest responses for the performance."
And from Kenneth Delong:
"In vocal terms, an excellent moment came in Valerian Ruminski’s great final act bass aria, which was delivered to excellent effect and with a commanding voice. It was an outstanding moment in the production."
For “The Barber of Seville,” Ruminski is to play Bartolo, whose house is set in a public square surrounded by a band of musicians and a poor student named Lindoro, serenading through the window of Rosina to no avail. Lindoro is really the young Count Almaviva in disguise, hoping to make the beautiful Rosina love him for himself and not his money. Rosina is the young ward of the grumpy, elderly Bartolo, and she is allowed very little freedom because Bartolo plans to marry her once she is of age and thus appropriate her considerable dowry.
Described as a plot of bribery, deception and disguise in which Figaro needs all of his wiles to help the Count outwit Bartolo and ensure true love wins the day, this opera is “a feast of frivolous fun.”
A portion of it was even featured in a Bugs Bunny cartoon because of its popularity and being a cultural classic, Ruminski said. Oh, and it’s a hoot as well.
“They were made in the late 50s, early 60s. And that's back when there was actually culture in people's lives, and people knew what the Barber of Seville was and that it was a common thing. Even children knew what the Barber of Seville was about, and that disappeared. It doesn't exist anymore. But back then, you know, they even made cartoons with Bugs Bunny and Elmer, but with the music from Bach,” he said. “I mean, they made a couple of those opera cartoons, and people remember them. They became very famous because they're so smart and funny, and striking. And artistically, you know, the animation was fantastic. So that's why I mean, it made a lasting impression. I think the last generation, you know, they remember those things."
“That’s why there’s a bunny on the poster so that people know it’s a comedy,” he said. “When they hear opera, they think someone is going to die.”
What percentage of your roles would you prefer to do something more comedic than serious? “It's really a difficult question because it's fun to do. Obviously, the comedic role, it's harder to do, the comedy is always harder, and you have to plan comedy. You have to have everything as precise, as precision is involved, and there's repetition and all that was much harder to do most of the comic roles than it is to do a serious role where you just run in and stand there and sing something. And there's just a dramatic moment, and you don't have to worry about doing the job or getting the bit across. I prefer to sing. I am a basso contante. That's my voice category, I'm not a goofball,” he said. There are some basses who only sing comedy because their voices are not pretty … I do have a pretty voice. And I can sing, I can sing things very beautiful. So I liked singing these more dramatic roles, where it calls for beautiful lines like a lot of the French repertoire calls for beautiful singing. So the problem is that it's harder to find a comic bass, there's not so many of them around. But I do have a flair for the comic, and I enjoyed doing the comic, I'm giving you a very nuanced answer I know. But yes, I enjoy singing the comic roles. When I get them, of course, I attack them, just with the same amount of intensity as I would any other role. And I do my job. And the Barber of Seville is a very difficult role with one of the primary buffo comic bass roles.
“This started the French Revolution, it stuck a pin in the aristocracy,” Ruminski said. “There’s a chain of silly situations, multi-layers of not just comedy, but a work of art.”
Performers are flying in from Guadalajara, Mexico, San Diego, and New York City, directors from New Jersey and one from Bulgaria. Musicians are being culled from Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. And 300 lucky patrons will have the opportunity to see this special production unfold for two hours on a Monday evening.
Of all the audiences Ruminski had performed before, he had a particularly special one more recently after he met his biological mother for the first time. It was at Our Lady of Victory Basilica Church in Buffalo with a crowd of some 1,400 people. It was “bittersweet,” he said because he wished she could have seen him at the top of his career at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the like.
He has also reconnected with his biological father, and both connections have given him a whole new family when he was otherwise left with no one in the Buffalo area.
He originally planned to leave Erie County and live more permanently in Palm Springs, Calif., where he now stays part-time during the year.
“So now, for the past three years, I've been getting to know my parents. They're both in Buffalo,” he said. “And so my plan to abandon Buffalo was abandoned. I abandoned my abandonment plan.”
And as far as opera is concerned, he has made singing debuts all over the world for 25 years and has gotten into producing more lately, including more contemporary works such as operas based on Stephen King, It’s a Wonderful Life, Sunset Boulevard, Casa Blanca, something “contemporary and relevant to our modern sensibilities,” he said.
He has been recording pop CDs under the label Impresario to feed that other part of his soul hungry for the Depeche Mode era. The pandemic allowed for more time to work on that project, which evolved from writing his own compositions, playing on piano and later singing with a virtual drummer.
For his birthday recently, his wish was to record in a studio.
“Because I want to lay down vocals, and I’m working on one of my songs. That’s my treat,” he said. “That’s my secret passion, that I enjoy doing it and making songs, and I put them on YouTube and all that.”
Musicians from throughout the region and a few hundred music fans gathered in Oakfield on Father's Day for the annual Retro Jam and Musicians Reunion. Photo by Howard Owens.
An audience and a chance to play is usually a pretty good reason for local musicians to show up at a venue on a sunny afternoon, and add in a chance to see the guys and gals they are too busy to see on gig nights, and a few dozen are likely to make the scene.
And though the venue had changed since its inception, that's been what has kept the Father's Day Retro Jam and Musicians Reunion going since 1978.
"Most of the musicians playing the jamboree are working musicians," said organizer Bill Pitcher. "They've been in different bands together, but while they're working, they don't see each other much because when they've got gigs, they're playing in different places. This is a chance for musicians to get together to mix and chat and have some fun."
The first jamboree was part of the Stafford Firemen's Carnival and grew bigger each year until the Stafford Volunteer Fire Department discontinued the carnival because of changes in state law forced them to end the annual Corvette Raffle.
Soon, area musicians were calling Pitcher with one question: "Where are we going to jam?"
Scott Graff and his wife Val had a solution, Pitcher said. The Oakfield Rod and Gun Club. There's a pavilion with electricity, plenty of grass for lawn chairs and canopies and parking.
"It's a great venue," Pitcher said.
The Rod and Gun Club sells hotdogs, there are public restrooms available and everything is friendly and laid back.
A 50/50 raffle raised $1,000 for the Center for H.O.P.E. at the VA Hospital in Batavia.
"This is the second year at the Rod and Gun Club," Pitcher said. "They've been very cooperative and friendly, very supportive."
The lineup of bands is a mixture of the old guard and some young musicians, so there's a next-generation ready to move forward with the event in the coming years.
This year's lineup included the Ghost Riders, the Double Image Band, Front Porch Pickers, Rock-A-Bully’s, Prospect, Sounds Good, and Bad Sign.
"We have a waiting list of bands that want to come and play," Pitcher said. "Most of the bands have been playing for years and years but we're getting a couple of younger bands involved."
Luke Bryan headlined Darien Lake on Friday. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Luke Bryan headlined Darien Lake on Friday, joined by supporting acts, in front of 20,000 fans.
The pop-country music superstar played for nearly two hours, running through hits such as, "Kick the Dust Up," "Country On," and "Country Girl (Shake It on Me)."
Virginian Alana Springsteen led off the night, warming up the crowd with a 20-minute set. She is no relation to Bruce Springsteen, although her dad and brother are also in the music industry.
Chayce Beckham performed second, featuring his popular songs "Tell Me Twice" and "Keeping Me Up All Night."
Southern Alabama native Tyler Braden rounded out the openers with his tracks "What Do They Know," "Neon Grave," and "Ways to Miss You."
Photos by Steve Ognibene
Tyler Braden at Darien lake, third opener. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Chayce Beckham, Darien lake, second opener. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Alana Springsteen, Darien Lake's first opener. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Kay and Bill McDonald in Jackson Square recently preparing for the Homegrown Concerts hosted by the Old Hippies on June 23 and June 30. Photo by Howard Owens.
Bill and Kay McDonald have spent their living the dream, playing and singing for smiling, clapping, foot tapping, and sometimes dancing audiences.
They decided a few months ago they wanted to give young, aspiring performers a chance to relish the same experience they've enjoyed all these years -- getting on stage with a good sound system in front of an audience looking to be entertained.
The McDonalds are producing concerts on June 23 and June 30 that will feature young performers. Both shows start at 6 p.m. in Jackson Square.
"We're really concentrating on the youth this time," Bill McDonald said. "We've got eight, nine, 10-year-olds that we've wrangled in -- guitar players, a bagpipe player, and accordionist. We've got a couple of more seasoned veterans like Deanna Spiotta and Don Thomas and Steve Kruppner."
The young artists include William Franz (bagpipes), Leah Ford (guitar), Nolen Wright (guitar), Spencer Moscicki (guitar on June 23), and Quinn Karcher (accordion on June 30).
Also on the bill, the Ghost Riders and the Old Hippies.
The name of the show is, naturally, "Homegrown." The event is paid for through a $5,000 grant from the state that was administered by GO ART!
The young performers were found by talking with teachers and friends, but even with the dates set, there might be more room on the bill for other aspiring performers.
"We could probably squeeze room for more," Bill said. "If we had a few more, we could. Every time you do that, it limits somebody else's time. But that's okay. We think the more, the better. Everybody's gonna play. If we (the Old Hippies) only get a couple of songs than so be it."
The creators of Enter Through the Coffee Shop @ The Harve, a unique, June-only art gallery at the Harvester Center, 56 Harvester Avenue, Batavia, held an invite-only pre-opening on Friday evening.
The public opening is tonight, Saturday, at 7 p.m., with the band FlashBamPow providing musical entertainment.
Evan Williams performing in Le Roy High School's production of Newsies in 2022. Photo by Howard Owens.
A lot of well-meaning adults around Evan Williams' life have a bit of advice in the form of a question: "What's his backup plan?"
"What is he going to do if it doesn’t work out?" they ask.
Musical theater is going to be what Evan Williams does, says his mother, Laura. He might wait tables while building his career, but singing and acting, or perhaps some other career role in or around Broadway, is what he is going to do with his life.
She doesn't have any doubt about it.
“People ask all the time about his fallback plan, but I can’t see him doing anything else,” Laura said.
One of his inspirations and mentors, John Bolton, a Le Roy graduate who has made a career in musical theater, TV and movies, said he hates the term "backup plan."
"Back-up plan means this is what you're going to settle for if things don't work out," Bolton said. "You should always have something else that interests you in life, but a backup plan always sounds second-rate. It's not going for your dreams."
Williams has his best chance yet to go after that dream. He's one of 100 students from around the nation who has won a place in the Jimmy Awards in New York City.
He secured his spot last week by winning -- along with Hope Galloway (Brighton High School) -- the Rochester Broadway Theatre League's "Stars of Tomorrow" competition.
Judges from the league visited the musicals of dozens of high schools in the Finger Lakes region and selected 40 students to compete in "Stars of Tomorrow." After a first round, those 40 competitors became 20, then 10, and then the final two.
Last year, Williams also made the final 10. This year, he won.
Evan Williams as Jean Valjean in the Le Roy 2023 production of Les Miserables. Photo courtesy Laura Williams.
"Evan was prepared and focused," said Bolton, who was an early round judge and then coach throughout the competition. "He's got an amazing voice. He took our notes and worked at it, as did the entire Top 40. He took very slight adjustments because he's well prepared. He owned the night, as did Hope Galloway. Everybody was wonderful. If it had taken place on another night, maybe someone else would have won, but that night, Evan claimed it. He owned it."
It was an incredible experience, Williams said.
He said the weeks leading up to the competition were anxious days.
"I had a lot of pressure to take on," Williams said. "Everyone had been telling me that I was gonna be the one, but I wasn’t gonna take anyone’s word for it other than my own."
He had grown up watching the Jimmys, hoping for even a regional consideration.
"I never had really thought of it as a reality until it became a reality," Williams said. "I knew it was possible, but I didn’t want to allow myself to think I didn’t have to work for it. I never want to do that for anything. Nothing should be handed to anyone. I had said to Nate Yauchzee on the way to the event that I remembered watching kids get picked to compete at NYC Bound and just being astounded, so even the fact that I was lucky enough to be part of the competition, not once but three times is crazy. On top of that, I think sixth-grade Evan would be incredibly proud of the fact that he is the first person from Le Roy to represent Rochester at the Jimmy Awards. I hope that there are some little Evans in the world who watch those videos and are inspired just the way I was."
Jacqueline McLean has directed the recent high school musicals at Le Roy and recognizes that Williams is a special talent.
"Evan has a heart of gold," McLean said. "Often, he's not thinking about himself. He's thinking for the better of the group, about a better musical, a better performance from the team. He's a team leader, and I'm a big believer that you're not going to get anywhere if you're not kind. He shows that often."
She said Williams is magnetic, that he connects with audiences in a way that's unique, that she hasn't seen other students be able to do.
"I have no doubt that he's going to go to college, and he's going to make a career out of this," McLean said. "I always joke with him, 'Don't forget the little people, don't forget where you came from because we're going to be cheering for you for years to come.'"
She's proud of Williams, but she's also proud of the entire Le Roy Music Department. Le Roy was represented in Rochester by not just one but five students, and three of them made the final 20.
Le Roy's musical this year was Les Miserables. The production was honored in every category of the theatre league's awards for 2023. Recognized as leading cast members from Le Roy were Ashlyn Puccio, Aubry Puccio, Cooper Terry, Jackson Cain, Maureen Klaiber, and Nathan Yauchzee. Among large schools, it was recognized for excellence in overall musical production, excellence in vocal ensemble, excellence in dance ensemble, excellence in production crew, and excellence in student orchestra.
"When you see kids over the years," she added, "you pick out the ones who have the 'it' factor. We've had a lot of them in Le Roy. We joke about it a lot -- that it must be something in the water. There is so much talent in this town."
After graduation, Williams, in pursuit of his musical theater ambitions, will attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh.
Attending college for music theater puts him on a very different career path than Bolton, who also grew up in love with theater, who started out in regional theater and then took a chance and moved to New York City and happened to make the right connections to build a career.
It helped that he, too, is a nice guy, but he recognizes he might be the best guide for Evan's career. Bolton's partner is a theatrical agent, so was able to offer Williams advice on universities to target.
Other than that, he's just a big believer that Williams should focus on what he loves.
"All signs are saying that Evan Williams can do this," Bolton said. "He's diving into a situation in New York in a few weeks with 100 other students from all over the country, and he will form friendships that will last a lifetime. He will form connections that will last a lifetime."
Bolton has known Evan's mother, Laura, since they were very young. Bolton's mother and Laura's mother, Lynn Belluscio, the Le Roy historian, have been good friends. Social media helped Bolton and Laura reconnect, and so he's been able to watch Evan's passion for theater blossom.
Laura said the main advice Bolton has ever given her son, because Evan is taking just a different path in his career, is to embrace his passion.
“John is always in Evan’s corner but more along the lines of, ‘follow your dreams, sing the songs that make you happy, be true to yourself,’” Laura said.
She's extremely proud of her son.
"Not only does Evan work hard, but he’s also genuine," Laura said. "He lifts people up and celebrates everybody’s success. In this career, he’s learned quickly that if he’s going to go places, he has to help other people. It’s far more than a kill-or-be-killed arena. That’s what I’ve noticed. Clearly, that’s a parent's answer, but that is what makes me proudest, and I know that makes Justin proud as well."
Williams has heard those well-meaning words about having a fallback plan, but he agrees with his mother. He can't see himself doing anything else.
He said he's listened to interviews with stars like John Meyer, who said he didn't necessarily get the best grades in school in mathematics. He was always a music guy. Williams said he's tried to do his best in school, even in mathematics, but those academic subjects, or even sports, have never been his focus.
"Some kids grind at science or they grind at mathematics. They go home and do their science homework or their math homework. When I'm not in school, I spend my time with voice lessons, music lessons, rehearsals, or something like that. That's my form of success," Williams said.
"This is something I want. If I keep pushing for it, I believe it can happen.I’m a big if you can dream it, you can do it. I'm that kind of guy."
Evan Williams performing in Le Roy High School's production of Newsies in 2022. Photo by Howard Owens.
The Ramble Team is once again partnering with the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) to bring a fun-filled event that has something for everyone, including 25+ bands performing on two stages, an Explore Art tent for kids, street performances, food and much more! The event will take place in Jackson Square and on Jackson Street on Saturday, July 1, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“After last year’s successful return, this year’s Batavia Ramble Explore Art and Music Festival is shaping up to be the biggest and best one yet to date,” said Stephen Kowalcyk. Ramble Event Coordinator
The coordinators are seeking art vendors, food vendors, sponsors and musicians for the event. For more information on being a food vendor, art vendor, or a sponsor of the event, contact Mary Jo at mjwhitman@goart.org. For musician applications, contact Stephen at thebataviaramble@gmail.com.
