On Saturday, Nov. 19, Grand Island was alive with the sounds of Christmas.
For the first time ever, the world famous Mannheim Steamroller performed in Grand Island.
The West Coast cast of Mannheim Steamroller played to a sold-out audience at the Heartland Event Center in Grand Island. Because of the high demand for tickets, a second performance was scheduled for the afternoon.
The main members of the night’s cast were conductor Chuck Penington, Jeff Yang, Glen Smith, Tom Sharpe and Joey Gulizia.
The musicians played vibrantly and with great expression along with the Mannheim Steamroller Orchestra.
Many classical arrangements of Christmas songs from the group’s various CDs were performed. These songs varied from the traditional “Greensleeves” to the more modern and upbeat “Winter Wonderland.”
The light show and videos that accompanied the music were a great addition to the show and helped the audience imagine the story behind each song.
The one drawback was when some lights were aimed into the crowd, which caused a momentary blinding effect