Here are some of the shows that I’ve created or had the opportunity to collaborate with some other wonderfully talented artists. These shows are examples of available themes, but I love customizing programs for events, so let’s talk!
Click the bullet next to each header for more detail on each show.
Here’s to the songs we love…wherever they’re from! For Those That Know the Score presents some of the most-celebrated songs originating on Broadway or from within the scores of Hollywood’s magical silver screen. Wherever their origin, these melodies bring a smile to our faces and warm our hearts. For Those That Know the Score features selections such as “Come Rain or Come Shine”, “Almost Like Being in Love”, “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”, “Moonlight Becomes You”, “All the Things You Are”, “Begin the Beguine”, “Cheek to Cheek”, “Just One of Those Things” and many more. Don’t miss this toe-tappin’ and sentimental celebration of some of the best-loved songs from the stage and screen.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Solo piano
From the mournful call of the Negro spiritual to the cry of protest and purpose signifying the African-American experience from the mid-1950s to late 1960s, We Shall Not Be Moved presents the music that captured the essence and call of the Civil Rights Movement. This inspiring concert experience presents popular songs and poignant readings from leaders, activists, and spokespersons of the time associated with the Civil Rights cause calling to mind the struggle and promise of what was to come. You’ll hear songs such as “Oh, Freedom!”, “People Get Ready”, “Go Down, Moses”, “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, “Lift Every Voice And Sing”, “A Change Is Gonna Come”, and many celebrated others. Perfect for Black History Month, educational series and other cultural celebrations.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Solo piano
Cole Porter music always excites and delights with the warmth, wisdom and wit of his clever and soaring melodies. Focused on the heart and beauty of the Great American Songbook, this program presents Cole Porter’s music and selections from several of his contemporaries. Too Darn Hot features a twelve-piece big band orchestra. Smaller ensembles can be arranged upon request. Features songs such as “All of You”, “Begin the Beguine” “In the Still of the Night”, “Embraceable You”, “Just One of Those Things”, “I Concentrate on You”, and “Lover, Come Back to Me.”
Duration: One hour and 40 minutes plus intermission; scalable to shorter duration
Instrumentation: Big band jazz orchestra; scalable to smaller jazz ensemble
A musical tribute to the legendary duo of the Great White Way who created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s that initiated the Golden Age of Musical Theatre. This program celebrates their most famous shows and the music that brought them to life. Features songs such as “Some Enchanted Evening”, “Soliloquy”, “There is Nothing Like a Dame”, “I Have Dreamed”, “If I Loved You”, and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Solo piano
A tribute to the “unforgettable” Nat “King” Cole and the songs he sang. Nat and his distinctive satiny-smooth baritone voice conquered the charts in the Fifties and early Sixties with hits like “Orange Colored Sky”, “Mona Lisa” and “Unforgettable” and breezy, countrified sing-alongs like “Ramblin’ Rose” and “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer.” If you love the era, the style, the man and the music, this program promises to be a wonderful experience. Features songs such as “Route 66”, “Nature Boy”, “Smile”, “Walkin’ My Baby Back Home” and many more.
Duration: One hour and 40 minutes plus intermission; scalable to shorter duration
Instrumentation: Five-piece ensemble or solo piano
This one-man show is a celebratory tribute to Broadway’s African-American leading men. The show begins with the humble historic reflection of blacks in minstrel shows and then highlights key moments of progress and the undeniable opportunities afforded African-Americans through musical theatre. The show highlights the concert works and musical theatre performances of artists such as Paul Robeson, Todd Duncan, Ben Vereen, Sammy Davis, Jr., Gregory Hines, Norm Lewis and notable others with songs from The Man of La Mancha, Pippin, Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Porgy and Bess, Show Boat and many more.
Duration: One hour and 40 minutes plus intermission; scalable to shorter duration
Instrumentation: Five-piece ensemble
Crafted for the romantic in all of us, It’s De-lovely! presents the music of Cole Porter in a more intimate setting featuring Keith Spencer and his wife, soprano, Amy Spencer, with solo piano accompaniment. Dotted throughout with humor and beautiful solo and duet material, It’s De-lovely! presents’ Cole Porter at his magical best. You’ll hear Cole Porter classics such as “So in Love”, “From this Moment On”, “Night and Day”, “After You, Who?”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” and many others…making for what is sure to be a “de-lovely” time for all! Perfect for Valentine’s Day celebrations and musical programming.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Five-piece ensemble or solo piano
While nostalgically revered for his booming rendition of “Ol’ Man River” from Kern and Hammerstein’s Show Boat, Paul Robeson was also the consummate blend of scholar, athlete, actor, attorney, social activist and international concert performer; a true Man for All Times. The Robeson Songbook is a concert presentation celebrating the life and legacy of Paul Robeson conveyed amidst the song palette of gospel and Negro spirituals he loved so well and which brought him international acclaim. Features songs such as “Go Down, Moses”, “Down By the Riverside”, “Were You There?”, “There is a Balm in Gilead”, “Deep River”, “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”, “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”, “Ol’ Man River” and more. Perfect for Black History Month, educational series and other cultural celebrations.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Solo piano
Singer, dancer, actor, comedian, instrumentalist…there was on only one Sammy Davis, Jr. This program celebrates some of Sammy’s best known material from his days on the Vegas strip with the Rat Pack as well as spotlights his more intimate balladeer moments. This program features a twelve-piece orchestra and song selections such as “What Kind of Fool Am I?”, “That Old Black Magic”, “Come Back to Me”, “Birth of the Blues”, “Too Close for Comfort”, “Once in a Lifetime”, “Something’s Gotta’ Give” along with other selections made famous by his Rat Pack buddies, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
Duration: One hour and 40 minutes plus intermission; scalable to shorter duration
Instrumentation: Big band jazz orchestra; scalable to smaller jazz ensemble
So many of the most-loved songs we know, we owe to the composition brilliance of Hyman Arluck, or rather… Harold Arlen. This program features all of Arlen’s best known material as well as other lesser known enchanting melodies. While most know him for the timeless tunes in the Wizard of Oz, there is oh-so-much-more to love. Features songs such as “Over the Rainbow”, “I’ve Got the World on a String”, “Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home”, “Accentuate the Positive”, “Come Rain or Come Shine”, “Blues in the Night.”
Duration: One hour and 40 minutes plus intermission; scalable to shorter duration
Instrumentation: Five-piece ensemble
This program celebrates the jazziest, “swingin’-est” and most enchanting songs from none other than the masterful Duke Ellington. Features songs such as “Prelude to a Kiss”, “Bli-Blip”, “Sophisticated Lady”, “It Don’t Mean a Thing…”, “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear from Me”, “I’m Just a Lucky So and So”, “Something to Live For”, “Satin Doll” and many more.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Five-piece ensemble or solo piano
Broadway has produced countless show-stopping numbers for leading men. This is the Moment: A Broadway Spectacular is a parade of some of the most recognized and heralded songs from today’s more contemporary as well as classic musicals. Features selections from shows such as Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll and Hyde, Show Boat, South Pacific, Babes in Arms, St. Louis Woman, Ragtime, and others. You’ll hear signature selections such as “Music of the Night”, “This is the Moment”, “This Nearly Was Mine”, “Ol’ Man River”, “What Kind of Fool Am I?”, “Soliloquy” and many more.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Five-piece ensemble or solo piano
The gospel genre has roots set deep in the faith, depth and mournful promise of the Negro spiritual. This program presents a wide selection of well-known and best-loved spirituals in a stirring concert presentation. Features songs such as “Steal Away”, “Deep River”, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”, “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”, “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”, “A City Called Heaven”, “If I Got My Ticket” and more. Perfect for Black History Month, educational series and other cultural celebrations.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Solo piano
Enjoy the musical best of the holiday season! In this heart-warming concert, Keith Spencer performs contemporary and classic holiday selections that have kept both the young and young-at-heart smiling for generations during the “most wonderful time of the year!” Home for the Holidays presents the festive carols and best-loved sacred melodies of both the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons. And what holiday concert would be complete without a full-on, all-hands-on-deck holiday sing-along?
Home for the Holidays features songs such as “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch,” “The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Sweet Little Jesus Boy,” “O Holy Night,” and many more favorites. Join in, raise your voice, and get ready to deck the halls for this delightful holiday celebration! Celebrating the joy of the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons.
Duration: One hour
Instrumentation: Solo piano
Davis. Cole. Eckstine. Hartman. What made their performances and recordings so legendary and loved by all? Who knows? But they certainly were something magical. In That Old Black Magic, baritone showman, Keith Spencer, presents an entertaining, bluesy, and sentimental romp through some of the most-recognizable standards of the American Songbook brought to life by African-American greats, Nat “King” Cole, Sammy Davis, Jr., Billy Eckstine, and Johnny Hartman. You’ll hear songs such as “Route 66”, “Love Me or Leave Me”, “Lush Life”, “It’s Only a Paper Moon”, “Birth of the Blues”, and plenty more! Keith is backed by a sizzling five-piece jazz ensemble featuring some of the most-talented instrumentalists in the region. Come and get enchanted by That Old Black Magic! Perfect for Black History Month, educational series and other cultural celebrations.
Duration: Variable – btw. 60 and 75 minute program
Instrumentation: Jazz Combo