Katie Mayhew adds Vineyard Pops program
It's official. West Tisbury native Katie Ann Mayhew will perform with the Boston Pops in Ocean Park on August 10, as part of the Martha's Vineyard Festival.
"I'm really excited to do it," said Ms. Mayhew yesterday, on her way back from theater camp. "To have that orchestra behind me again, I'm really looking forward to it."
Ms. Mayhew recently wowed hundreds of thousands of people during a performance with the Pops at the orchestra's traditional 4th of July performance on the Esplanade in Boston, where she sang the Steven Sondheim tune "Being Alive." The Martha's Vineyard Regional High School sophomore won the chance to sing with the Pops after she prevailed over more than 200 contestants in a series of auditions and a public performance. Now she will get a chance to perform with the Pops in front of her Island neighbors. "None of my friends could come to my performances in Boston, so I'll be very glad because they can all come," she said.
Promoters also announced the addition of the NAACP Choir to the festival line-up. Promoters will add a second stage to Ocean Park, so that there will be nearly continuous music through the afternoon and evening.
Festival Network hopes to build the concert into a series of events beyond the music. In that vein, they have added a benefit art show and a film screening to the schedule. The art show, titled "Tribal Art on the Vineyard," is scheduled for August 1 and 2, the weekend before the festival, at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs. The film "Zeb - Schooner Life," about the legendary schooner captain Zebulon Tilton of Chilmark, will be screened on Saturday, August 9, the evening before the concert. The film will be shown on giant screens in Ocean Park, and is free to the public.
Selling seats
Island charities involved in the sale of premium seating for the concert say tickets are selling well, and seven of the premium stage-side tables have already been sold at a price of $10,000. Single premium seats are on sale for $350.
Individual premium seats come with hors d'ouevres, drinks, and dessert, complimentary parking, a private entrance to Ocean Park, and private bathrooms. Tables, which seat ten people, feature those amenities, plus linens, candles, flowers, and table service.
The Friends of Oak Bluffs, the YMCA, and Vineyard House collaborated on the fundraising effort. Earlier this year, they criticized Festival Networks, saying the company was late with information about the musical acts and ticket prices, but those differences were resolved, and all three organizations offered high praise for the promoters.
"Even if the three of us wanted to, I don't think we could have found a way to stage such an incredible show on the Vineyard," said Renee Balter, representing the Friends of Oak Bluffs. "It's what the Vineyard is all about, from the little guys, to the big guys, and everybody in between.
All three organizations expect the fundraising effort to provide a substantial boost to their usual summer efforts. The "Y" will use the proceeds for its building fund. The Friends of Oak Bluffs will use some of the proceeds to beautify the town's shorefront, and Vineyard House, which provides safe living quarters for Island residents recovering from substance abuse, will use the funds to cover part of the operating expenses for their residential facilities.
