Plaza concerts to begin with finalists

The Island Now

The Village of Great Neck Plaza last week announced that the finalists from the Great Neck Arts Center’s, “Your Big Break” contest will be performing this Tuesday, June 11 at 8:00 p.m, at Firefighters’ Park (Jon’s Park), the Plaza’s first concert of the 2013 Summer Concert Series.  

“This will be our first concert of the summer in the Village, and it is sure to be a wonderful start to the 2013 concert series,”  Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender said. “We are thrilled to have these four undiscovered acts from the Great Neck Arts Center’s ‘Your Big Break’ competition as our opening act in what is sure to be another exciting summer of music under the stars in the Plaza.” 

Plaza officials  thanked the concert’s sponsor, the Great Neck Arts Center, for their generous support of this program. 

Headlining the opening concert of the summer concert series will be the four acts that placed in the Great Neck Arts Center’s, “Your Big Break” competition –  Andrew Gabriel, Charlie Dane, Yael Lerato and Youth Be Told. 

Gabriel is a singer and guitarist from Ronkonkoma.  After studying jazz at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, and graduating with a degree in music education in 2011, he pursued a performance career which has led him to perform in many different venues including parties, weddings, shows, restaurants, cafes, and bars. 

By utilizing his tenor vocals and accomplished guitar playing, and drawing from many influences including jazz, blues, pop, and folk, he creates original music that is refreshing and new, while also relatable and familiar. Fueled by the human emotion and reactions from people of all ages, he loves the challenge of putting the indescribable into a four-minute song.

Dane is a singer, songwriter and musician from Oyster Bay. He has been performing music for many years, opening for some of music’s biggest names. 

For the past three plus years Dan has performed on main stages such as New York City’s Sullivan Hall, Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum and LA’s famous Genghis Cohen. 

Dane recently completed an LP of 10 original songs entitled Dreamland and is currently working on her second record. 

Music Festivals such as Mountain Jam, South by Southwest, Flood City Music Fest, Long Island Blues Fest, Gathering of The Vibes, Clearwater Music Festival and many others have welcomed Dane to their line ups where she has honed and perfected her chops. 

Dane has shared the stage with the legendary George Porter, Jr. and has opened for famous New Orleans based bands The Radiators, Papa Grows Funk, Soulive, Aaron Carter and many others. Charlie’s original music can be described as “pop-soul” and she continues to amaze audiences with her mature lyrics and nuanced multi-octave voice.

Lerato grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa before moving with her family to New York. From an early age Yael was listening to a variety of music from artists such as Johnny Clegg, Jimmy Cliff, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Richie Havens, Tracey Chapman, Roberta Flack, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. 

These influences introduced her to the essence of soul and laid the foundation for her own music. Lerato loves to listen to and share great music. She has performed at and organized various fundraisers and events in the New York area. Yael believes that Music is life: a constant experiment and growing experience, a power within music that can serve as a cultural force for expression and change. 

Youth Be Told, the rock and roll group from Long Island,, compromised of Lennon, age, 13, on guitar and keys, Madden, age, 13, on drums, Alex, age, 14, on bass and keys, and Jessica, age, 14, lead vocals, have proven that great things come in small packages. 

At only 13 and 14 years old, these kids perform with the heart, soul, power and ability seen in seasoned musicians more than twice their age! Come to one of their shows and you will hear some of the most incredible Classic Rock songs and instrumental covers that have been enjoyed for decades. 

Their musical inspirations include Rush, The Beatles, Boston, Yes, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Peter Frampton, and many others. They are also very excited to be introducing their original music this year! They perform several shows a month, and have also opened for headliners such as the incredible Randy Jackson of Zebra, We The Kings, and Cody Simpson. 

In case of inclement weather, the concert performance will be moved to the Great Neck Senior Center (80 Grace Avenue). 

Check with village staff at the Village Hall on the day of the concert, or call our voicemail after 5 p.m. at (516) 482 – 4500. We will have a recorded message if the day’s scheduled concert has been moved from Firefighters’ Park to the Senior Center. The Plaza will also have an announcement on our village Web site, www.greatneckplaza.net, in the case of inclement weather.

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