On a Sunday afternoon with all sorts of fun to be had watching football games, I found myself being dragged off to a Piano Recital of someone whose name I couldn’t remember at a Public Library. The artist was Philip Fortenberry and after watching his performance I am positive it is a name I’ll never forget.
Philip started playing piano at the tender age of four, played all through high school and was classically trained at Juillard. He’s got an impressive array of degrees and awards from any number of top professionals in his field. While all that is notable, it is not what held my interest and made me glad to be at his recital. It was the way he made me feel while he was pouring over the piano keys that captivated me. Philip Fortenberry plays his Broadway selections with strong emotion, reverence and flair. By his own admission he is a triple threat in reverse, he can’t sing, dance or act. His love of music shines through when he speaks of the origin of a song and how he came to play it in his career. His fingers fly over the keys at times to demonstrate a perfect sense of timing and rhythm as he puts emotion into each note played.
His performance included songs from Cats, Ragtime, Mamma Mia, Evita, A Chorus Line, and a tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein. Between songs he spoke of his experiences and fond memories throughout the years. He talked about meeting a conservatively dressed woman who turned out to be Madonna who was working on the score from Evita, which later became the Academy Award winning musical score. He spoke briefly about how attacks on 9-11 affected Broadway and how the creative community bounced back. He shared a story with us of how he’d had the pleasure to see Patti Labelle perform a Broadway classic song in her own style. Her performance made him appreciate his teacher’s earlier words to him that he has to let the music come through him and make it his own. That is what he’s been doing all these years that makes him stand out. He plays standard tunes his way, effortlessly with his own natural flair.
Broadway My Way ended with a fitting tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein Philip Fortenberry style with songs from Carousel, Oklahoma, King and I, South Pacific and Sound of Music was a performance that catapulted the audience to it’s feet with joy and appreciation to which Phillip responded “Thanks, that was fun”.
Finally, he regaled us with a warm rendition of What I Did for Love from A Chorus Line, which brought many in the audience to tears and again to their feet.
Classically trained artist, Philip Fortenberry, is currently the associate conductor for Jersey Boys at the Palazzo. You can also enjoy Philip’s performance at the renown Liberace Museum in Liberace and Me where he plays on the famous mirrored piano. You can pick up a copy of his newly released CD, Broadway My Way, by going to his website at philipfortenberry.com.
To hear an interview with Phillip Fortenberry on VegasTalkRadio.com, click here. You’ll be glad you did!
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2 Responses to “Philip Fortenberry’s “Broadway My Way””
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November 23rd, 2009 at 8:00 am
Thanks for posting the article, was certainly a great read!
November 25th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I was at that concert, too, and also amazed at what I heard at a public library on a Sunday afternoon. My review of Philip Fortenberry’s amazing performance is online here: http://living-las-vegas.com/2009/11/philip-fortenberry-broadway-my-way/