Un-Block The Music” connected on the phone with Melissa Errico yesterday so that I might feature her on Women Wednesdays. I was intending to promote her upcoming virtual concert with Seth Rudetsky. Melissa is part of the The Seth Concert Series, Sunday, July 5 at 8 p.m. (https://thesethconcertseries.com/) As I learned, that’s only one exciting part of what she has been creating from home during this pandemic. As we were speaking, she was waiting for song mixes to come through, and she was getting ready to do tech for the upcoming concert.
Melissa is from Manhasset, Long Island. Her claim to fame started early when she was cast on Broadway in My Fair Lady at 21 years old! She met Seth back then, and has been doing concerts with him ever since, hence the adorable caricature of the two of them above! Melissa promises the upcoming concert with Seth to be a fun show singing songs from musical theater, songs from her upcoming Michel Legrand album (more on that later) and even some folk type songs from writers like James Taylor. It’s all natural. “Seth’s shows are always about joy!,” she says.
If nothing else, Melissa thinks the attitude towards working mothers has changed in the last three months. “People have viewed being a working mom as a hurdle, but I think now they are seeing that differently!” Right at the start of this shutdown, Mary-Mitchell Campbell called her to be part of Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration https://unblockthemusic.blog/2020/06/24/women-wednesday-mean-girls-mary-mitchell-campbell-bridges-music-humanitarianism/ . “That came together so quickly it was almost radical! I set up shop, gave my kids dinner (didn’t have a nanny), sat on my bed and sang ‘Children and Art’ (from Sunday In The Park With George) which is a really difficult song.” She knew nothing about technology, she just did it!
Recording equipment was not easy to get as outlets, like Amazon, were trying to get in step with massive orders they were receiving. Melissa said she couldn’t get a pop filter, so she had to use a wire hanger and a pair of pantyhose to make the singing sound right. (FYI.. A pop filter is a noise protection filter for microphones used to reduce or eliminate popping sounds like when you pronounce the letter “P”).
As if those two events weren’t enough, she has more on her plate! While
“Women Wednesdays” usually presents a bio of the woman featured, today, I am just offering you a blurb about what Melissa is involved with, and I will follow-up later this month with a feature story!
The week of July 10th, Melissa is releasing a new two song single called “Two Spring Songs For Summer,” which follows her latest Warner Music album “Legrand Affair Deluxe Edition.” The first song is a new version of Michel Legrand’s song “You Must Believe in Spring” and Alec Wilder’s “Blackberry Winter.” When COVID-19 took hold of the world, one of her followers on Twitter urged her to sing “Blackberry Winter” which is a song about the frost that comes in April and May just when you think Spring is here. “It’s about the vulnerability of Spring,” she says. “Both songs are appropriate as we enter this uncertain summer.” We will talk more about this release in the upcoming feature.
Melissa was about to do a 6-month international tour featuring songs by French film composer Michel Legrand; “Legrand Difference: Melissa Errico Sings The Music of Michel Legrand.” Sadly, like all tours, it has been cancelled.
Also, the week of July 20th, there will be an event in celebration of the live recording of David Shire’s musical Our Table. The musical, also starring Constantine Maroulis ( https://unblockthemusic.blog/2019/04/16/catching-up-with-american-idols-constantine-maroulis/) , is inspired by two real-life restaurant-running New York couples. Melissa plays ex-Ballerina Claire, whose Union Square restaurant is in danger of closing due to real estate development. While the soundtrack was recorded in January, the plot holds true to reality even more so now as restaurants fight for survival during shutdown! Stay tuned for more information about this event.
For now, though, Melissa said, buy tickets for The Seth Concert Series. “Sit down with a beer. I won’t mind if you flip a hamburger during the performance. Just enjoy!” https://events.broadwayworld.com/event/melissa-errico-seth-rudetsky-7-5-8pm-et/
You can follow Melissa on Instagram at Melissa_Errico_fairymom or on Twitter at @melissa_errico. Her website is https://melissaerrico.com/.
Un-Block The Music 