The Hillcrest Wind Ensemble (HWE) celebrates “The Big Apple” at the Mississippi Room in the Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., Saturday July 27. Music from Broadway and the Big Band era will fill this historic ballroom. Among the Broadway musicals featured, the 45 piece ensemble will perform music from Les Misérables and Chicago. The Mississippi Room will be transformed into a 1940s cabaret with food and drink available. Music of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and other greats will be featured in a salute to the big bands, some of which actually played this venue. The ballroom still has its scallop shaped band shell and after a $6 million renovation and restoration the hotel really shines as it did when the Hollywood stars would stay for a weekend getaway.
The ensemble celebrates more than 25 years of performing and is a program of The LGBT Center and acts as a musical ambassador to the community as a whole. For this concert the band welcomes back local jazz vocalist Andrea Sperling who will perform two songs including a special Pride piece. Concert time is 7 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres starting at 6:30 p.m. and no-host bar throughout the night. Tickets are $15 in advance, available at The Windsmith, 3875 Granada Ave., and $20 at the door. For more information go to hillcrestwindensemble.com
