In brief: Benefit for ailing longtime Modesto performer
Some famous friends are rallying around longtime Modesto performer Joe Rykert.
The “A Show for Joe” benefit concert is set 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at Gallo Center for the Arts. Townsend Opera and Modesto Performing Arts regular Rykert was diagnosed this spring with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Later this summer, he will undergo a bone marrow transplant. Friends and family are trying to raise $50,000 to help pay for his treatments.
The fundraiser will feature Modesto native Jeremy Stolle, from Broadway’s “Phantom of the Opera,” and singer Lauren Jelencovich, a featured soloist on the Yanni World Tour. The show also features appearances by the MPA cast of “Guys and Dolls,” The Academy of Dance Modesto and others. Rykert starred in the MPA production of “South Pacific” last August.
Tickets will be $20-$30, and all proceeds will benefit Rykert. For more information, visit www.galloarts.org, or to donate, visit www.youcaring.com/joe-rykert-390154.
VMI Rocks
For those about to rock, the VMI has a warm-up show to prepare it for Modstock.
The Valley Music Institute will present a VMI Rocks show Sunday, Aug. 2, at Fat Cat Music House and Lounge the week before its annual outdoor public showcase. The concert will feature 26 bands playing everything from rock to blues. VMI is a rock ’n’ roll school that places aspiring musicians of all ages in bands. Performers at the VMI Rocks show will span ages 6 to 60.
The fifth annual Modstock show will feature a full day of music, food and festivities Aug. 9 in Graceada Park. More than 30 bands will play that free event, which starts at 10 a.m. and will run until dark.
The VMI Rocks show will run from 12:30-7 p.m. at the Fat Cat. Tickets are $7. Call 209-543-2066 or visit www.modstock.org.
Columbia Big Band
Columbia Big Band presents a special summer concert Friday, July 31.
The concert will feature the return of two distinguished alums, vibraphonist Tyler Combs and pianist Krista White. Both played in the Columbia Big Band for several years before transferring and beginning music careers.
Combs will be a featured soloist and perform some of his original compositions, and White will sing with the Big Band. The band will perform several new arrangements, including music by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stan Kenton and Carmen Miranda.
Show starts at 7 p.m. in the Columbia College Dogwood Theater. Tickets are $10 at the door. Call 209-588-5211.
‘Footloose the Musical’
Kick off your Sunday shoes, it’s time to cut loose.
Community Theatre of Linden brings “Footloose the Musical” to the stage. The production is based on the 1984 Kevin Bacon film about a town that forbids dancing. The cast of 35 regional actors is directed by Rocky Rhoades.
Show opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 31 and runs 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 9. Tickets are $20 general, $15 students. Call 209-351-0193 or visit www.communitytheatreoflinden.com.
This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 12:03 PM with the headline "In brief: Benefit for ailing longtime Modesto performer."