The Divine Miss R – Lynne Rothrock Sings the Music of Bette Midler

Lynne Rothrock, of Cedar Rapids, is bringing her cabaret performance style to the Coggon Opera House. With her accompanist, Julia Andrews, they will premiere “The Divine Miss R,” a show dedicated to the music of Bette Midler.

Rothrock is known in the Cedar Rapids Area for her Christmas Cabaret concerts, other singing and acting performances, and for sharing her talents as a voice educator. This spring, she played the lead role in Giving Tree’s production of “Tiny Beautiful Things.” Being compared to Bette Midler is not new to Rothrock. Marcel Smith of the Nashville Scene wrote “Recalling both Diana Krall and a prettier Bette Midler with sassy red hair, . . . .she can sing anything, and she can grab and shake a house.”

Lynne is an Iowa-born singer who has performed around the country at venues including Birdland (NYC), Bluebird Cafe (Nashville), Davenports (Chicago), Hell’s Kitchen (Minneapolis), Manhattan Vocal Jazz Festival, International Cabaret Conference at Yale University and many others. She works with Michael Feinstein at The Great American Songbook Foundation and is an active arts educator. She and her late husband, acclaimed blues guitarist Ron DeWitte, entertained all over the world with Holland American and Princess Cruise Lines.

Julia Andrews is an active performer of chamber music and jazz piano. She met Lynne in 2014 as a substitute pianist for Lynne’s Cabaret class at Theater Cedar Rapids. Julia is still giddy with the excitement of collaborating with her friend and favorite musician. She has served on the music faculty at Monmouth, Knox, and Cornell Colleges and owns Piano Works Piano Studio in Mount Vernon.

Seating is by general admission only. Tickets can be purchased at the door or can be reserved for will call by leaving a message at (319) 435-2071. Doors open 30 minutes beforehand. Payment by cash or check only.

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Swearingen & Kelli – FIRE & RAIN – Iconic songs of the ’70s

TONIGHT’S PERFORMANCE IS CANCELLED BECAUSE OF SNOW & RAIN. Please stay safe today.

Be prepared to be transported back to the folk rock era of the 1970s when AJ Swearingen and Jayne Kelli return to the Coggon Opera House on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at 7 p.m.

It will be a heart-filled evening of folk rock favorites from Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Jim Croce, James Taylor, The Eagles, Carole King and more. Listen to songs like “Landslide,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” 1970s folk rock is even better this time around, especially in the expert hands of Swearingen and Kelli!

This will be the second time Swearingen and Kelli have been on the Coggon Opera House stage. In October 2017, they performed the well-received “Music of Simon & Garfunkel.”

Dubbed after James Taylor’s hit song, they will feature music from classic 1970s-era singer-songwriters, as well as a few hand-picked Swearingen & Kelli originals.

Swearingen and Kelli, have been together as musical partners for seven years and officially hitched since 2014. Mother Church Pew describes this Americana singer-songwriting duo as the “delicious blend of Swearingen’s smooth baritone and Kelli’s smoky vocals…inspired by great songwriters of the ’60s and ’70s.”

Seating at the Coggon Opera House is by general admission only. Tickets can be purchased at the door or can be reserved for will call by leaving a message at (319) 435-2071 or 319-721-1350. Payment by cash or check only. Doors open 30 minutes beforehand.

 

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Ayla Brown & Rob Bellamy

Ayla Brown & Rob Bellamy

Spend a Sunday afternoon at the Coggon Opera House listening to the country sound of Ayla Brown and Rob Bellamy. They will perform a wonderful musical set full of original songs, the stories behind them, and other country and classic songs that the listeners will know and can sing along to.

Brown was an American Idol finalist while in high school (2006) in Massachusetts and music has always been a part of her life, as well as sports. She played 4 years of women’s basketball on scholarship at Boston College. After graduation she returned to music and launched a singing/songwriting career.

Bellamy, also from Massachusetts, is a professional hockey-player-turned-singer-songwriter. Rob loved music from a young age and many of his influences derive from artists like Dave Mathews and The Eagles. On his 23rd birthday he received a guitar, and from the minute he picked it up he was hooked.

They met in Nashville where they both now live. They clicked together musically and began writing songs together, recording demos, and uploading videos on Facebook and YouTube of their songs.

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Marion Big Band Christmas Concert

Christmas Concert

The 12th annual Marion Big Band’s Christmas concert at the Coggon Opera House is set for Sunday, December 2 at 2 p.m.

The first half will be traditional big band tunes, but the Santa hats come out after intermission and it’s time for the “Sounds of the Season.” Admission is free, but donations are welcome to further the work of the Opera House. Doors open 30 minutes beforehand.

“Holiday Desserts,” hosted by Coggon Historical Society, will follow the concert at the Coggon Historical Hall, at 123 E. Main Street.

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The Goatsinger Show

The Goatsinger Show

The Goatsinger Show will play Saturday, January 27, at 7:30 pm at the Coggon Opera House.

A playful and thoughtful show in the vaudeville tradition, it mixes music, sketches, and monologues, and closes with a full-house singalong. The Goatsinger Show has been a staple in the area for the past seven years, showcasing writers, songwriters, and performers from throughout the Corridor.

Led by Mike Moran, this show features performances by Marty Christensen, Lane Gaffney, Vivica Maina, Shelbi Benion, and Isabel Hung.

For further questions, contact Mike Moran at 319-975-6255 or email him at [email protected]

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Drinking Habits – Community Theater Production

Drinking Habits

Accusations, mistaken identities, and romances run wild in this traditional, laugh-out-loud farce. Two nuns at The Sisters of Perpetual Sewing have been secretly making wine to keep the convent’s doors open, but undercover reporters are hot on their trail. Their presence, combined with the addition of a new nun, spurs paranoia throughout the convent that spies have been sent from Rome to shut them down. Wine and secrets are inevitably spilled as everyone tries to preserve the convent and reconnect with lost loves.

Cast: Kris Oswald, Dawn Marek, Jim Greene, B.J. Moeller,
Robert Kurt, Jennifer Beall, Aimee Jones, Dan Huber. Directed by Dawn Marek.

General admission seating – $15. Tickets available at the door
or call 319-435-2353 to reserve will-call tickets.

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Bluegrass Night at the Opera

Bob & Kristie

BLUEGRASS NIGHT at the Opera has a new date!

Returning from their 2016 performance at the Coggon Opera House are Banjoy featuring outstanding banjo player Bob Black with his wife Kristie, Paul Roberts, and Mark Wilson. The Great Bluegrass Herons (Jane and Mark Wilson and Paul and Julia Roberts) and Straightback Chair (Stephen Hanson, Ursula Williams, John Raab, and Phil Thomas) round out the evening.

General admission seating only. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Call (319) 936-8674 to learn more.

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Helen Russell & Company – Toe Tappin’ Music

Helen Russell & Company

Helen and Elvis Russell are bringing their high energy toe-tappin’, live award winning music show and entertainment to the Coggon Opera House. Enjoy family style comedy and impersonations, along with audience participation! With Elvis on bass, they also feature banjo and drums. They look forward to seeing you “on the front row!” You will be 100% entertained!!

Seating is by general admission only. Tickets can be purchased at the door or can be reserved for will call by calling (319) 435-2071. Doors open 30 minutes beforehand.

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Gordy and Debbie – A Tribute to George Strait

Gordy & Debbie

Gordy and Debbie, one of the most popular husband-wife entertainment acts in Branson, Missouri, are returning to the Coggon Opera House!

With over a quarter century of success in the entertainment industry, Gordy and Debbie Wensel are bringing their George Strait Tribute Shoe to Coggon.

Seating at the Coggon Opera House is by general admission only. Tickets can be purchased at the door or can be reserved for will call by calling (319) 435-2071. Doors open 30 minutes beforehand and payment is by cash or check only.

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An Evening With Carol Montag

Carol Montag

Carol Montag will perform her special brand of music at the Coggon Opera House. A popular performer in the Cedar Rapids area, Carol performs original songs, traditional and contemporary folk, and songs from the Great American Songbook on acoustic guitar and piano.

She has been described by folk music legend Tom Paxton as a “genuine discovery” and “the best thing to come out of Iowa since Bonnie Koloc.” Her influences include Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Eva Cassidy, Julie Andrews, John Denver, and James Taylor, to name a few.

Carol has recorded four solo albums and two Christmas CDs with Kathy Donnelly and Nina Swanson in the trio known as Tribute. Carol has opened for or shared the stage with Arlo Guthrie, Michael Johnson, Jim Post, Greg Brown, Priscilla Herdmann, David Wilcox, John Gorka, John Stewart, Cliff Eberhardt, Larry Groce, as well as Three Dog Night.

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