“Hillcrest Ensemble” will perform “The Great American Songbook” at the upcoming Full Moon Concert on Thursday, June 24 at the Heart in the Park pavilion in Centennial Park, 301 East Grand in Tonkawa. Eight area musicians will present American Standards – including classics such as Blue Moon, Crazy, Sentimental Journey, Georgia on my Mind, Let It Be Me, In the Mood, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Walking after Midnight, and more popular favorites.
Members of the Hillcrest Ensemble are Denise Jones, clarinet; Paul Parma, bass; Kevin Roe, tenor saxophone; Larry Lenhart, guitar; Suzi Lenhart, vocals; Marsha Moore, vocals; and Mike Seals, jazz piano. Guest vocalists for the evening are Abby Davis, Tonkawa an Kate Branstetter, Ponca City.
Denise Jones received her BFA degree in Music Education from Wichita State University and taught band for two years in Wichita and twenty-six years in Ponca City. She played bassoon with the Mariah Trio and with various local groups and serves on Arts Adventure Foundation board of directors. Denise and her husband Stan reside in Ponca City.
Paul Parma received his Bachelor’s degree in Music from University of Tulsa and his Master’s degree in Music from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Kevin Roe grew up in Muskogee and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Along with performing the tenor saxophone and bass, Kevin is a retired firefighter. He married his high school sweetheart 44 years ago and lives in Newkirk.
Larry Lenhart, a Ponca City native, earned his Master of Science in Education from Arizona State University and retired from teaching math at Ponca City High School. Larry took guitar lessons and taught at Bill Pruitt’s Music Studio in Ponca City in the 1960s, and has played early rock & roll and country music in various bands over the years.
Suzi Lenhart is a vocal, recorder, uke and piano instructor and has been teaching in her Ponca City studio (Miss Suzi’s Singing School) for 39 years. Prior to that, she taught public school music in Arizona and Wisconsin. She holds both Bachelor and Master degrees in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Suzi and Larry Lenhart have been married 47 years.
Marsha Moore loves to sing, and husband, Al, and her two sons and families kindly support her music passion. Although she formerly played the violin, Marsha now favors the ukulele because it makes self-accompaniment easier. Marsha sings in the Grace Episcopal ...
