Menu
Fredonia native Calabria Foti (Shelley Fote) is an American singer, violinist, composer, arranger, author, and educator. A consummate musician and a dynamic entertainer, she is a connoisseur of music, from Classical to Broadway. In this Musical Homecoming, Foti and her husband, trombone virtuoso Bob McChesney, come to Fredonia with “Bebop to Broadway.” This dynamic duo share their love for the popular song and each other in a delightful evening of entertainment!
Foti’s recordings and live shows have been praised by such diverse artists as piano virtuoso Van Cliburn, composer Johnny Mandel, trumpeter Chris Botti, and a host of other music and entertainment luminaries. Upon hearing her CD, “A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening,” legendary singer Johnny Mathis said, “Listening to a beautiful voice is one of my greatest pleasures in life. Listening to this recording of Calabria Foti’s voice is some of the most beautiful and artistic music I have ever heard. She is a treasure!”
Born into a family of musicians and music educators, Foti was exposed to classical, jazz, and popular music at a young age. Passionate about movie musicals and classic films of the late 1920s on, Foti calls herself a “throwback,” in love with the period of American history that produced the songs of the Great American Songbook and the films from The Golden Age of Hollywood.
Her highly acclaimed CDs are a testimony to her musical sensibilities, and can be heard regularly on adult standards and jazz radio formats throughout the world. She has shared the spotlight and the microphone with TV’s Seth MacFarlane and in 2013, the two paired up to record the duet, “Let’s Fall in Love,” which garnered a Grammy Award nomination.
Equally at home performing musical theatre, jazz, cabaret, or her own original songs, Foti has been called a “master of improvisation and interpretation”; and her voice has graced several major motion picture and television soundtracks.
Also an accomplished violinist, Foti created the jazz violin sound for Fox TV’s Lisa Simpson, performed the virtuosic violin solo for the long-running theme to PBS’ Great Performances, and most recently was a featured soloist in the films, Muppets Most Wanted and Sherlock Holmes. She has played violin on hundreds of television and movie scores, and on CDs for Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Josh Groban, Daft Punk, and many others.
From Baltimore, Bob McChesney began playing the trombone in the fourth grade as part of the public school music program. He since has evolved into a world-renowned trombone soloist and an authority on trombone pedagogy. McChesney’s trademarks as a trombonist are his smooth, lightning-fast technique, his mastery of jazz harmony, beautiful sound, and a strong emotional connection to the music. With complete mastery of the instrument, McChesney has distinguished himself as one of the pre-eminent trombone soloists in the world.
Primarily self-taught, from a young age McChesney developed a unique way of articulating legato on the slide trombone, referred to as “doodle tonguing.” He has since authored what is considered to be the definitive treatise on the subject, “Doodle Studies and Etudes,” and the method has been critically acclaimed and endorsed by trombonists and music educators all over the world.
McChesney had the honor of performing on the slide trombone for the virtuosic cornet piece “The Carnival of Venice” with The Idaho Falls Symphony. Following that performance, he recorded the piece with pianist Alan Steinberg, and that recording has now has reached a staggering 3 million views on YouTube.
A prominent figure in the Los Angeles recording studio scene, he has enjoyed a career in scoring films, television shows and albums. He can be heard on recordings for Barbra Streisand, Shakira, Michael Buble, Natalie Cole, Neil Young, Chicago, Keb’ Mo’, Jessie J, Tricia Yearwood, Olivia-Newton-John, Hanson (with Jerry Hey Horns), Horace Silver, Joey DeFrancesco, Randy Waldman and many others, and can be heard on the Grammy-winning albums “Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company,” “Random Access Memories” by Daft Punk, Diana Krall’s “When I Look in Your Eyes,” “Dear Diz” by Arturo Sandoval, and “Serendipity 18” by Bob Florence, among others.
With extensive experience performing in classical ensembles for motion picture scores, he also has worked with live orchestras in the Los Angeles area, including The Long Beach Symphony and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
Sponsored by McClenathan Productions and AIRPLAYN Records
Tickets are $25 (Adults), $23 (Opera House Members), and $10 (Students). Tickets available beginning Sept. 5