Jazz at Lincoln Center Program 2026

CONTENTS Theatre Staff.......................................................................................................................................2 Whitney Morse on The Sharon® Performing Arts Center....................................................................3 About.................................................................................................................................................8 Biographies.................................................................................................................................. 9-11 Coming Soon............................................................................................................................. 12-13

THEATRE STAFF Founder & Executive Director...Jason Goedken Founder & Artistic Consultant...Whitney Morse Artistic Director............................Angel Creeks Director of Operations.....................Jon Cronin Director of Business..................... Sean Graham Director of People, Projects & Culture........................Leslie Becker Development Director........... Yasmeen Stogden Marketing Director.........Monica Berdecio, MA Booking & Contracts Manager.......Sierra Weiss Senior Manager of Technical Operations......................Clay Becker Technical Production Manager...Andrea Huneycutt Assistant Production Manager...........Madi Carr Deck & Facilities Coordinator... Tony Fairchild Lighting Supervisor.................... Ally Southgate

Associate Lighting Supervisor......Dio Raquel Jr. Audiovisual Technician..................Roel Cavazos Production Swing......................Nichole Pollack Manager of Patron Services .............Alec Speers Assistant Manager of Patron Services...............................Tina Carroll Assistant Manager of Patron Services............................Lonnie Goertz Assistant Manager of Patron Services ...............Savannah Rose Parker Marketing & Social Media Coordinator............................Natalie Bollinger Marketing Account Manager......... Erika Nelson Graphic Designer..........................Krissi Kugler Lead Housekeeper........................ Victoria Doss Ad Sales....marketing@significantproductions.org

SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS BOARD President...................................................................................................Elliot Sussman, MD, MBA Treasurer....................................................................................................................... Donna Taylor Board Member.............................................................................................................Jason Goedken

© Significant Productions, Inc. 300

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WHITNEY MORSE on

The Sharon

®

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Dear Patron of the Arts, Welcome to The Sharon Performing Arts Center!

This year marks a very special milestone—10 years since The Sharon first opened its doors. What began in 2015 as a bold dream has grown into a vibrant home for live performance, rooted in the adventurous and artistic spirit of my grandmother, Sharon L. Morse.

Over the past decade, we’ve been honored to earn your trust, show by show, standing ovation by standing ovation. Whether you’re here tonight to experience a beloved Broadway tour, a favorite artist, or something entirely new, know that every performance has been thoughtfully curated by our passionate team of artists and arts administrators.

As we celebrate our first ten years, we’re also stepping into an exciting new chapter: The Sharon is now proudly powered by Significant Productions, a registered nonprofit dedicated to creating meaningful, memorable arts experiences in our community.

With this new foundation, we’re not only preserving what makes The Sharon special, we’re building toward a future filled with bold ideas, diverse stories, and even more opportunities to surprise and delight you.

Thank you for being part of this journey. We’re so glad you’re here. Enjoy the show, and here’s to the next ten years of discovery, connection, and applause.

See You at The Sharon,

Whitney Morse Founder & Artistic Consultant Significant Productions

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ART. ARTISTS. AUDIENCE. SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS (SIGPRO) is a Non-Profit arts organization that operates The Sharon Performing Arts Center & The SigPro Studio.

OUR MISSION; SigPro cultivates a diverse collaborative community with a focus on artists' well-being that strives to provoke thought and spark conversation through high quality performing arts.

OUR TEAM MEMBERS We believe that fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace is essential for the creation of exceptional art. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion extends to our employees. This ensures every individual who contributes to our productions feels valued and empowered. We actively promote a workplace culture that embraces differences and encourages collaboration among our diverse team of artists, technicians, administrators, and volunteers.

Thank You

FOR SUPPORTING SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS STANDING OVATION

ENCORE ENTHUSIASTS

Hery Nias Foundation Robert & Joan Jalbert Jim & Dee Judd Elliot Sussman Andy Pawlowski John Swartz

John Cable Celeste Hankins April Linscott Marianne Niesen Kevin & Teresa O’Grady Patricia Schlemmer Jim Ward John Hilt

$2,022 A YEAR

$60 A MONTH

ARTS AMBASSADORS $30 A MONTH

David Burns Marie Connolly Mary Homko Russ & Jo Jones Bob & Diane Kendi Honey & David Kirk Edward & Gayle Labuda Convertible Club Holly Nicholson Dina Nizza

Bonnie Park Debbie Rabe Karen & Clarence Russell Jr Donna Silver Donna Taylor Jan & Dave Thomas Bob & Iris Trinh Barbara & John Van Dyke Melissa Warner

DEDICATIONS Ursula Becker Derek Mumford Peg Fiore Alice Stogden Jackson L. Straub III, M.D. Lorraine Torgerson Thank you to our Vibe Setters and anonymous donors.

Thank You TO OUR SPONSORS

Thank You TO OUR PARTNERS

your help

GOES A LONG WAY! LEARN MORE & DONATE ON OUR WEBSITE SIGNIFICANTPRODUCTIONS.ORG |

Significant Productions is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity.

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435- 7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. FLORIDA REGISTRATION #CH76504

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ABOUT

Great American Crooners focuses on quintessential crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Bobby Darin, whose velvety voices and sentimental serenades made them superstars on stage and on screen. Featuring Robbie Lee and Shenel Johns, who have both graced Jazz at Lincoln Center’s stages and Downbeat Magazine’s #1 Rising Star Male Vocalist, Benny Benack III. Relive classics like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Misty,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” and “Moon River,” and enjoy incredible true stories about these legends. It’s going to be a stylish evening of timeless tunes, and world-class talent.

For over three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education globally. Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center has brought the art form of jazz from the heart of New York City to over 446 cities in more than 40 countries.

––––––––––––––– The JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER PRESENTS touring initiative provides an affordable opportunity to present great jazz programming, featuring up-and-coming musicians who have been identified as rising stars by JALC. The initiative also allows for expansion of the mission of JALC "to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy."

Approximately 150,000 students participate in Jazz at Lincoln Center's education programs each year. “What is Jazz?”, from the renowned education department at JALC is being offered in conjunction with the tour. Please see more here:

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BIOGRAPHIES BENNY BENACK III By age 31, Emmy-nominated trumpeter and singer Benny Benack III has proven to be that rarest of talents: not only a fiery trumpet player with a stirring command of the postbop trumpet vernacular in the vein of Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard, but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. This duel-threat ability was recognized by the 2022 Downbeat Critics Poll where he appeared as not only the #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist, but a top Rising Star Trumpeter as well. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). On top of it all, he’s a highly capable pianist as well.

Benny has performed internationally as an Emcee/Host for the Youtube sensation Postmodern Jukebox, and achieved his own viral success amassing millions of views for his crooning alongside the Grammy-award winning “8-Bit Big Band”. In early 2020 he released A Lot of Livin’ to Do, the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut One of a Kind. This sophomore effort, richly varied in mood and brimming with bop inflection, features bassist extraordinaire and Jazz ambassador Christian McBride (whose Grammy-award winning Big Band frequently calls upon Benny in the trumpet section) and drummer/producer Ulysses Owens, Jr., as well as the radiant Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano and Rhodes. His vocalese duet on “Social Call” from this album alongside fellow young star vocalist Veronica Swift became an instant smash hit single, being transcribed and learned by Jazz vocalists around the world.

Alongside his global touring as a straight-ahead/contemporary bandleader, Benny has appeared as a trumpet soloist in more commercial circles alongside Josh Groban, Ben Folds, fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi, Ann Hampton Callaway and more. He’s been featured at Birdland, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Mezzrow, Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle and other leading New York venues, and has also been a special guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops Orchestra, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his television debut in NBC’s short-lived, SNL-inspired variety show “Maya & Marty” playing in the in-studio band led by acclaimed bassist & Broadway arranger Charlie Rosen. His global recognition has been bolstered by recent live-streaming concerts at Smalls Jazz Club, where he maintains a weekly residency, as well as frequent appearances on fellow young lion Emmet Cohen’s “Emmet’s Place” weekly show.

Third in a generational line of Pittsburgh jazz notables, Benny follows in the footsteps of his trumpeter/bandleader grandfather, Benny Benack, Sr. (1921-86), and his father Benny Benack, Jr., a saxophonist/clarinetist who gave the young Benny his first professional experience. Benny, Sr. hailed from a Pittsburgh lineage that also produced Roy Eldridge, Earl Hines, Art Blakey, Billy Strayhorn and so many more. He recorded the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1960 theme song “Beat ’Em Bucs” and toured with Tommy

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BIOGRAPHIES Dorsey and Raymond Scott, among others. Benny III returns to Pittsburgh often to perform, saluting his family forebears and the jazz heritage as a whole, nonetheless staking his bold and highly individual artistic claim. He is an endorsing artist with Torpedo Bags cases, CarolBrass flugelhorns, as well as various menswear fashion lines including X-Suit, Alain Dupetit, Proper Cloth & Vittone.

SHENEL JOHNS With a voice that embodies grace and passion and a personal style that sways effortlessly from jazz to R&B to gospel, Shenel has emerged as one of the shining stars of her generation. A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Johns has been performing since she was fourteen years of age, and has developed a distinctive, eclectic style that has increasingly caught the attention of her peers and some of the industry’s top performers. Johns received a B.A. in music management from the Jackie McLean Institute at the Hartt School of Music and studied performance with such jazz legends as Rene McLean, Jimmy Greene, and Nat Reeves. She has shared the stage with music royalty including Curtis Fuller, Hank Jones, Dionne Warwick, and Sheila Jordan, and has performed and recorded with an impressive array of leaders in the field. In 2016, Johns completed a musical residency at Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha in Qatar and, several months later, honored Billie Holiday as part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s New York production of Billie and the Boys. She has also paid tribute to another of her idols, Lena Horne, at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s famed Appel Room. Most recently, Johns was the winner of the Riga Jazz Stage Competition in Riga, Latvia, and was featured in the Hartford Jazz Festival’s Ella Fitzgerald Tribute ROBBIE LEE Robbie Lee is a New York City based pianist, vocalist, composer and educator whose spectacular ability to merge his equal talents make him one of the most exciting emerging artists to date. Growing up in Tucson, AZ Lee was encouraged by his mother to find music he enjoyed. Falling in love with earlier blues and rock and roll music, Robbie eventually found jazz as a new way to express himself. Through joining the Tucson Jazz Institute, Lee was exposed to a broad range of jazz from Traditional to Post-Bop styles. Eagerly gathering information from the plethora of this music, Lee was encouraged to develop his own voice and keep an open mind.

A graduate of both The Juilliard School(AD ‘21) and The Manhattan School of Music(BM ‘18), at 27 he has already shared the stage with his mentors, such as world renown jazz icons Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Herlin Riley, Bruce Barth, Matt Wilson, and Brice Winston. As both a leader and a sideman, Robbie has graced several world class stages, including Dizzy’s Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland, Frederick P.

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BIOGRAPHIES Rose Hall, and Joe’s Pub. He has also played in numerous jazz festivals across the globe including the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Umbria Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Bern Jazz Festival. Throughout his career, Lee has earned recognition for both his performance and composition skills, receiving awards from Downbeat Magazine, YoungArts, The Essentially Ellington Festival and Competition, and The Next Generation Jazz Festival.

Commonly regarded as a first rate pianist/vocalist, Robbie draws musical inspiration from Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and many others. While he mostly performs songs of the Great American Songbook and Jazz Idiom, showcasing his versatility and deep understanding of the genre, Lee also enjoys composing new works that feature his peers and himself.

As a writer, Lee has arranged/composed works ranging in ensemble size from solo piano to full orchestra. He credits world-class musicians such as Scott Black, Doug Tidaback, Brice Winston, Ted Rosenthal, Jeremy Manasia, Phil Markowitz, Frank Kimbrough, Charenee Wade, and Geoffery Keezer as mentors who have played a crucial role in shaping his skills and artistic vision.

Just as his mentors did for him, Robbie believes in giving back to the community and teaches regularly in the NYC metropolitan area, passing on his knowledge and inspiring the next generation of musicians. With a growing collection of awards and accolades to his name, Robbie continues to inspire, uplift and warm the hearts of audiences and his peers alike.

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COMING SOON

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COMING SOON

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experience

PRIVATE LOUNGE BE A VIP IN OUR PRIVATE LOUNGE AT THE SHARON

• Exclusive experience for up to 15 guests.

• Private lounge for the evening, including home-like furnishings, restroom, and direct access to the auditorium box for comfortable viewing of your show.

• Upgrades available such as a private bartender or personalized celebratory furnishings.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO CREATING AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER! To explore accommodations and availability, please contact VIP@SignificantProductions.org

BEHIND THE

curtain tour Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of your favorite shows at The Sharon? Want to share footprints with some of the world’s biggest stars?

Book a private Behind the Curtain Tour!

Want to arrange a private tour for your group, club, company, school trip, or cul-de-sac?

Email: Info@SignificantProductions.org Visit SignificantProductions.org/Tour for more information.

All sales require a minimum guest count of 15.

Available through multiple cable and streaming sources, VNN offers a nightly LIFESTYLE NEWS SHOW that’s a video recap of what’s happening in The Villages® Community.

Hosted by experienced and accomplished broadcasters and produced by an exceptionally talented team of technical personnel, VNN’s LIFESTYLE NEWS SHOW and our weekend shows, PLAY IT FORWARD and PLAY IT AGAIN are for YOU! VNN’s programming includes focused Villages weather forecasts, Villages sports, local business information, hurricane preparedness programming during the season and more.

Check your local cable listings for VNN or LOCAL PROGAMMING, Stream us on The Villages Daily Sun App or TheVillagesDailySun.com

GOT AN IDEA FOR A STORY? Reach out to VNN at VNN@ TheVillagesMedia .com

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Great theatre requires talent, passion, and the support of our community. The Villages values the power of art and recognizes Significant Productions’ role in enriching our lifestyle. Join them, as we have, in ensuring that live theater continues to thrive.

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For information on prices, ad sizes, and availability, please email us at marketing@significantproductions.org.

Free Memory Screens

1 in 9 people age

65 and older have Alzheimer's disease.

If memory loss affects your daily life, or if you’re concerned might one day, then it you should get a memory screen.

It's quick and it's FREE.

CALL NOW

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DESIGNED TO

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Brands from the World’s Finest Hand-Selected Jewelry Master Jewelers Expert Repairs by In-House Certified Appraisals On-Site

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JAY LENO

Proudly Family-Owned

The Villages® Community Sarasota Plaza | 352-775-1772

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312 Heald Way handandstonethevi llages.com

Month-to-Month Membership Program Available *Introductory offers valid for first-time and not valid towards visit only time for consultation gift cards. Sessions include and dressing. Limited offer. Rates and services time may vary by location.

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