BWW Reviews: Rich Ridenour Warms Dearborn with a Night at the Oscars in GREAT MOVIES, GRAND PIANO

It may have only reached 10 degrees outside the Michael A. Guido Theater in Dearborn Friday night, but inside, the stage was as hot as it gets! Special guest artist Rich Ridenour conducted the Dearborn Symphony in a salute to the movies. "Great Movies, Grand Piano" was a magnificent performance filled with stirring music and unexpected comedy.

John B. (Jack) O'Reilly, Jr., Mayor of Dearborn, made a cameo appearance on stage along with an entourage of comedians who ran in ultra-slow motion as the symphony performed "Chariots of Fire." Ridenour provided comic surprises throughout the evening as he alternated between conducting and playing the Steinway grand.

The selection of works was fabulous, and the performance was astonishing. The evening's program included beloved treasures popular with cultured patrons: Strike Up The Band, Fiddler on the Roof, Moon River, Ghostbusters, The Entertainer, Polovtsian Dances, Frankenstein, Linus and Lucy, Mozart Concerto in C, 2^nd mvmt., Kitten on the Keys, Clair de Lune, Chariots of Fire, 18^th var. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 and Rhapsody in Blue.

Sample the concert's encore at http://youtu.be/QKCsLr0pf8w

For more information on the remaining concerts in Dearborn Symphony's 51^st season, kindly visit http://www.dearbornsymphony.org .

Rich Ridenour conducted the Dearborn Symphony in a salute to the movies

The Dearborn Symphony

Rich Ridenour and John B. (Jack) O'Reilly, Jr., Mayor of Dearborn

Rich Ridenour conducted the Dearborn Symphony in a salute to the movies