Description of a recent Stella & Ian Duo virtual live concert presented by B Street Theatre at the Sofia as part of their Six Feet Apart series.
Friday night “Six Feet Apart” virtual concerts have become something to look forward to during this time of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently I enjoyed a Stella & Ian Duo virtual live concert thanks to the B Street Theatre at the Sofia.
Lyndsay Burch welcomed the attendees to the event being broadcast live via Zoom. Buck Busfield, the Producing Artistic Director, then made a few comments. Among other things he shared an update on happenings at the B Street Theatre.
B Street Theatre Update
The B Street Theatre has received federal stimulus money from the Small Business Administration’s PPP Program. This funding has allowed B Street Theatre to hire back over 30 staff laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting 95% drop in revenue.
The stimulus funds are limited to 8 weeks, but the funding gives the company a “chance to fight another day”.
Buck reported that staff morale is good. In addition to a variety of live virtual performances staff is working on long delayed projects – painting, repairing, organizing and filing.
Music acts are being re-booked to later dates, but B Street Theatre is waiting to reschedule plays at this time. Patrons who purchased tickets to shows that have been cancelled can:
- Request a refund
- Convert the ticket purchase to a donation
- Convert the ticket purchase to a credit on your account
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Stella & Ian Duo
Jerry Montoya, Producer, introduced the Stella & Ian Duo. He mentioned that Stella Heath had most recently appeared at the B Street Theatre in early January 2020 as part of her Billie Holiday Project.
When asked by Jerry, Stella shared that they were currently sheltering in place at home in Santa Rosa.
Stella’s voice and Ian’s guitar are a powerful combo. The concert had an international flair as Stella sang several songs in French – including Under Paris Skies.
Other songs included classics such as Summer Time. The pair performed Summer Time with their own spin – more upbeat than the original. As one of the attendees commented in the Zoom chat referring to Stella’s style – “she makes them her own”.
Also in the mix were some more modern songs. One such song was Valerie (originally by Amy Winehouse).
The two also took requests – performing for example Them Their Eyes and Georgia On My Mind. Finally, the duo finished up with God Bless The Child.
Stella mentioned that they live stream a show every week – so you may want to check them out. Virtual tips accepted!
See related blog post: Dirty Cello Concert
Comments on the Stella & Ian Duo?
Did you attend the performance? What would you add?
Did you see Stella and her quartet perform the Billie Holiday Project? I hope to catch the Billie Holiday Project at some point in the future!
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