Symphony SHOWS
It’s Magic! Joan Ellison Swings in High Fidelity
Premiering September 2023!! Sparks will fly when Joan Ellison brings the Golden Age of studio recording back to life with a swinging celebration of the most dazzling singers, songwriters, and arrangers of the mid-twentieth century. The timeless hits include Rosemary Clooney’s “April in Paris,” Peggy Lee’s “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” Lena Horne’s “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man of Mine,” Judy Garland’s “San Francisco” and “When The Sun Comes Out,” Ella Fitzgerald’s “’S Wonderful,” Doris Day’s “It’s Magic,” and many more, featuring the original arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Conrad Salinger, Paul Weston, and Don Costa.
“[Joan is] a rare combination of artist, archivist, and arranger...” Michael Feinstein
Get Happy! A Judy Garland Celebration
Songstress Joan Ellison brings Judy’s glorious original symphonic arrangements back to life in a nostalgic trip from technicolor Hollywood to Carnegie Hall! (Arrangements used with the kind permission of the Judy Garland Heirs Trust.)
The hit parade includes “The Trolley Song,” “The Man That Got Away,” “Get Happy,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart,” “Almost Like Being in Love/This Can’t Be Love” “The Palace Medley,” “Stormy Weather,” “The Boy Next Door,” “Chicago,” “That's Entertainment,” “You Go to My Head” and, of course, “Over the Rainbow.”
A Retro-phonic Christmas with Joan Ellison
Joan's holiday symphonic pops concert, Retrophonic Christmas, includes Judy Garland’s original arrangements of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from Meet Me in St. Louis and “The Christmas Song” from her 1963 holiday television special, Eydie Gormé’s “White Christmas” and “Sleigh Ride,” Peggy Lee's "The Christmas Waltz," Kay Starr’s “The Man With the Bag,” Ella Fitzgerald’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” as well as other nostalgic favorites.
OTHER SHOWS
Love Finds Judy Garland
Songstress Joan Ellison celebrates Judy Garland’s centennial with a trolley ride through her life, from her swing-singing days at MGM to her take-no-prisoners sold-out concerts around the globe. It's a highly personal love letter to the genius of Judy Garland and her path to true love, including The Trolley Song, Over the Rainbow, Just in Time, If Love Were All, The Boy Next Door, I Got Rhythm, By Myself, The Man That Got Away, The Palace Medley, and Get Happy. The show features virtuosic arrangements for piano and cello based on Garland’s original orchestrations.
By Myself: Joan Ellison Sings Judy Garland
Joan sings and plays (the piano, not Judy!) in this cabaret-style solo concert, which was created with intimate venues in mind. It features authentic transcriptions of Judy Garland’s original arrangements spanning her entire career, including "A Foggy Day” and “If Love Were All” from her famed Carnegie Hall concert, “Too Late Now” from The Judy Garland Show, a Gershwin medley from Girl Crazy, and hits from her films and recordings including “I Don’t Care,” “Get Happy,” “The Trolley Song,” “Over the Rainbow,” and, of course, “By Myself.” Joan has spent more than a decade transcribing these musical arrangements, and interweaves stories about Judy Garland and the many people who were involved in the creation of her films and recordings.
Latest News
JOAN FEATURED ON DETROIT PUBLIC TELEVISION
Joan’s work reviving Judy Garland’s music and restoring her original orchestrations was featured on Detroit Public Television’s One Detroit program, in an interview with Detroit Public Radio host Cecelia Sharpe. They discuss Judy’s artistic legacy, as we celebrate the upcoming centennial of her birth. Watch the whole segment here.
“Get Happy!” Reviewed on BroadwayWorld.com
Joan’s March 2023 “Get Happy! A Judy Garland Celebration” concert with the Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota and Maestra Robyn Bell was recently reviewed on BroadwayWorld.com:
“[Joan] had the chops to deliver sweet lulling songs as well as boastful big tunes. Even her beautiful ball gowns displayed the look we came to know as Judy Garland - off-the-shoulder, sparkling bright colors and mid-calf elegance. It was obvious justice was done in this tribute captured with a great deal of research, love, respect, and pure passion to get it right. Well done Ms. Ellison, Judy would have been proud.”
Read the rest of the rave review here!
Lorna Luft and Joan Ellison at the after-party.
Reviews Are in for “JUDY AT CARNEGIE HALL” Concert!
Thanks to New Jersey Stage for their remarkably thorough write-up, complete with several photographs, of our “Judy at Carnegie Hall” concert recreation on June 23rd, featuring Judy’s newly-restored orchestral arrangements! Read it here. And thanks to Theater Pizzazz for this wonderful review of the concert. Read it here.