‘The Swing of Hearts’ and ‘River City Ramblers’ to Close FFAC Season

The Swing of Hearts is the title of an upcoming “Romantical” evening of heart-felt song with Wayne Coniglio leading St. Louis’ finest 35 piece studio orchestra, featuring Cecil Cope from Memphis and St. Louis’ own Elsie Parker. They will appear on April 26 at 8 p.m. at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre in tandem with special guests Bob Ceccarini and the River City Ramblers.

The Swing of Hearts Orchestra was founded by Cecil Cope and Wayne Coniglio to continue the spirit of the American Studio Orchestra which was so prevalent throughout the 20th century. Audience members will fall in love all over again with the help of former Ray Charles band member and contributing arranger band leader Wayne Coniglio, who is fulfilling his dream of leading a studio orchestra featuring much of his writing. Wayne is a top player/writer producer in St. Louis and is delighted to have his absolute best colleagues performing in the orchestra.

Cecil Cope is a member of The Jorrells, an 8 piece rhythm and blues group. While pop music has been the musical center of Cecil Cope’s performances, his teenage years were filled with big band music such as Harry James, Al Hirt and Dizzy Gillespie.

Elsie Parker has been performing for over twenty years as leader of her band, The Poor People of Paris.  Elsie has been a member of the Muny Orchestra since 2000. Elsie is a classically trained clarinetist, having recordings on Centaur Records.

Joining in the fun will be The River City Ramblers, trumpeter Bob Ceccarini, tuba player David “Red” Lehr, and pianist Patrick Joyce.

Rounding out the group on the drums is Joe Buerger, Scott Alberici on clarinet and Bobby Grimm on the banjo.

Applause/Applause provides eight entertaining evenings of unforgettable music, theatre or dance programming ranging from magnificent classics to legendary hits and innovative contemporary shows, all presented in the beautiful and comfortable Florissant Civic Center Theatre.

Tickets are $28 for adults and $26 for seniors and students. Call the box office 314-921-5678 for tickets and information or go online at www.florissantfinearts.com

The Florissant Fine Arts Council presents the Applause/Applause series with financial support from our members, the Missouri Arts Council (a state agency) and Regional Arts Commission.

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