More than 4,500 viewers on Facebook alone enjoyed a virtual concert featuring new songs celebrating essential workers and healthcare providers, each created and performed by Chicago-area singers and songwriters while they were sheltering in place, as part of Paramount Theatre’s Connection Social Media Concert Series.
Paramount’s third Connection concert, part of a new weekly series, dropped Saturday, April 18, at 8 p.m. on the theater's Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages, and its website, ParamountAurora.com.
The 37-minute concert was an eclectic, poignant collection of nine new songs about memorable experiences or personal connections with doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, cleaning crews or any essential workers risking their lives to keep others safe.
Still available for online viewing (here, via Facebook), Saturday’s Connection concert combined for an entertaining and poignant online music event saluting everyday heroes on the front lines helping others.
Following are the nine songs in the order they appear with background on the artists:
“To the Guy at Mariano’s” (starts at 3:08)
Esther Fishbein
Glencoe
Instagram: @artists_in_between
“My Boy at the Grocery Store” (4:32)
Mattie Cieplak
Downers Grove
Twitter: @CielplakMattie
“Essential” (8:01)
Patrick Scott McDermott
Arlington Heights
Instagram: @PatrickScottMcDermott
“I Will Keep You Safe” (9:37)
Cory Goodrich
Carol Stream
Instagram: @corygoodrich
Note: Cory played Mrs. Banks in Paramount’s Mary Poppins
(2014) and was an ensemble member in Once (2018).
“These Four Walls” (15:24)
Music by Jamey McDunn (Schaumburg)
Lyrics by Jim Wearne
Sung by Jay Towns
Facebook: @jpmcdunn
“Look For the Helpers” (18:54)
Melonie Collmann, Morrison Luban and Gigi Luban
Berwyn
Instagram: @kidlosophy
“Thank You” (21:56)
Travie Austin
Chicago
Instagram: @iamtravieaustin
“As Long as Hope Is There” (24:16)
Music and Lyrics by Joel Hall
Performed by Elizabeth Stenholt (Des Plaines)
Instagram: @eeqazz
Note: Elizabeth played Dorothy in Paramount’s The Wizard of Oz (2018).
“God’s Got Your Back” (28:50)
Stephen Coakley and Katherine Viviano
Chicago
Instagram: @viv_and_steve
Note: Katherine performed at Paramount in
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (2019)
Not on Facebook? Watch Paramount Theatre's Connection Social Media Concert saluting essential workers and healthcare providers above via YouTube.
“Passage of time” is theme for next Connection online concert Saturday, April 25, 8 pm. CST;
Deadline to submit is Wednesday, April 22
Paramount’s Connection series is designed to help artists and audiences stay connected while everyone is asked to stay at home. The theme changes every week to encourage emerging and veteran performing artists to use their time in quarantine to create new work and keep Paramount’s patrons entertained in an innovative new way.
Every Wednesday, Paramount’s New Works Department reveals the following week’s Connection theme and guidelines.
On Wednesday, April 15, Paramount announced it is seeking songs, stories and dance works that reflect the performers’ personal connections to the passage of time.
To submit, please fill out this form - https://bit.ly/2Xcjdnh - by Wednesday, April 22 at midnight. The resulting Connection Social Media Concert will debut Saturday, April 25 at 8 p.m. across Paramount’s social channels and website.
Some submission hints: All ages and experience levels are welcome. If filming with a cell phone, horizontal orientation is preferred but not required. If you are a writer and not a performer, Paramount will connect you with singers who have volunteered to perform your material and record it. For any other questions about the submissions process, please email newworks@paramountarts.com.
“Since we have all been advised to socially distance ourselves, it’s become clear that we need to find new ways to stay in touch now more than ever,” said Amber Mak, New Works Development Director, Paramount Theatre. “While we may not be able to bring you live theater right now, Paramount plans to continue our Connection series to keep people connected until we can all see each other again at the theater.”
Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, is the center for performing arts, entertainment and arts education in the second largest city in Illinois. More than 41,000 subscribers from throughout the city and suburbs enjoy Broadway-quality productions at highly affordable prices at Paramount Theatre. Since launching its Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre has grown to be the second largest subscription house in the nation.
For the latest news from Paramount Theatre and updates on upcoming performances, please visit ParamountAurora.com.
