Philadelphia Wedding Bands News - Brandywine Valley Talent News

Strangers capped off an incredible night of festivities at the Alex's Lemonade Stand Lemon Ball held last Saturday night at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott. 

The night acts as one of the organizations major fundraisers geared at finding a cure for childhood cancer. It kicked off with a cocktail hour and silent auction.



Items included sports memorabilia and tickets, spa and ski weekends, and this autographed LP of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," among many other amazing items.

The event then moved into the Grand Ballroom at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott for an award ceremony honoring those who contributed most to the organization over the last year.



The program also featured a moving address from Alex's mother, Liz Scott.

Liz Scott, accompanied by her husband Jay, speaks about her daughter, Alex and the great work she was able to inspire.

The guests were also treated to a special address by one of Alex's Childhood Cancer Heroes, Danny Hammond.  He spoke about his battle with cancer, and how he had the privilege of meeting Alex while being treated in the hospital.  Danny shares Alex's dream of curing childhood cancer and speaks regularly on behalf of the organization.
 

Read more of Danny's inspiring story.

Former Philadelphia 76ers GM, Billy King was on hand to speak.  As a board member, King is still very active with the organization despite relocating.


Read more about Billy King's involvement with Alex's.

As the program wrapped up, Strangers took the stage and kept the dance floor packed for the rest of the night.

The Strangers front line ushers in the dancing portion of the night.



The night was a great success as it always is.  Brandywine Valley Talent and Strangers are extremely proud to be a part of it and hope to be for years to come.  Thank you to Advanced Staging , Phillip Gabriel Photography for the great shots, the Philadephia Marriott Downtown , Alex's Lemonade Stand , and everyone else who helped bring this night together.

                                                                                         And don't forget the most important part... DONATE!  

It is hard to believe that 2011 is about to come to an end.  It has been another amazing year for Brandywine Valley Talent.  Our bands have performed at over 300 beautiful high end weddings, not only in Philadelphia, but in New York and New England as well.  The Sid Miller Dance Band traveled as far as Jupiter Island in Florida and City Rhythm even performed in Italy.  In addition to our weddings, we performed at another 350 events, including Mitzvahs, Galas and Corporate events.

As our competition expands into areas other than live music, our focus remains solely on what happens on stage and the dance floor, where our expertise and knowledge is second to none.  Our roster of 9 elite dance bands is as solid as ever, with each musician dedicated to the success of their specific band.  You never have to wonder what you will get at your event when you book BVT, as we prepare diligently, work as hard and care as much as anyone.  When you see a band online or at a showcase, these are the musicians that will perform at your event.  Our bands are “real bands”, not a group of musicians thrown together for an event.  This commitment ensures quality of musicianship and overall “excellence in entertainment”!

In addition to our dance bands, our Inspired Emotions division of jazz, pop and classical musicians performed at many high end weddings and events, many of which were part of our exciting new “Wedding Weekend” concept.  With our Wedding Weekend, entertainment is planned and provided at the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception and after party, as well as Sunday brunch, all with BVT musicians, bands and ensembles.

By focusing on our strength, 2011 was another successful year, in spite of the uncertain economy.  In January, we completed a 2 day video shoot at West Chester University’s beautiful new Madeline Adler Theater.  Our new videos appear on each of our bands’ main pages here on our website.  The reaction has been amazing, and I would like to thank Tim Sudall from Video One , as well as his team for helping us to create such an amazing video.  Everything was shot live and there is no overdubbing at all, as we want you to see exactly what to expect at your event.

While performing at many of our favorite venues, we were also honored to be part of the openings of 2 new Cescaphe Event Group venues, Tendenza and Vie .  Congratulations to Joe Volpe and his team for taking Philadelphia weddings and events to an even higher level.  Look for Contagious to perform at the first annual Vie New Years Eve celebration!



Cescaphe Event Group's Joe Volpe and Jellyroll bandleader and BVT president, Kurt Titchenell at Vie just before Jellyroll played Rowhome Magazine's annual gala.

BVT continued its community oriented charity service by providing entertainment at many Philadelphia galas, including Alex’s Lemonade Stand’s Lemon Ball and the Philadelphia Flyers Fight For Lives Carnival.  



Strangers performs at the 2011 Alex's Lemonade Stand Lemon Ball.

Jellyroll performs at the Philadelphia Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival at the Wells Fargo Center.



Speaking of Philadelphia Galas, check out our new PhiladelphiaGalas.com website.  This site was launched this year with the mission of providing a resource for people who would like to support a great cause while having a great time.  This would not have been possible without Drew Speranza, BVT’s new PR and Business Development Manager.

We decided that we needed to get the word out on all of the amazing events and happenings here at BVT, so Syracuse University graduate Drew Speranza, left Los Angeles and joined our team.  Drew has done an amazing job with our website as well as our social media.  Please see our Facebook page where you can see details on the amazing events that we do.  You can also provide us feedback on our events as well as suggestions for new material to learn.  We are committed to staying fresh by rehearsing often to learn all of the latest hits.

We also launched our Mitzvah section of our site.  Again, thanks to Drew, our Mitzvah clients have a place to go to experience a BVT Mitzvah at www.phillymitzvahs.com .  This site was launched at the National Association of Catering Executives event where Big Ric and his Big Ric Rising band showed the Philadelphia catering industry how exciting a Mitzvah can be.  BVT can now offer all of the exciting new entertainment related items such as LED stages and dance floors, creative backdrops and lighting, just to name a few.



Big Ric gets the dance floor rockin' at the NACE Mock Mitzvah event in November.

Another outstanding and unique high profile event took place the day before Thanksgiving at the annual Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau Annual Luncheon event, where over 1500 hospitality professionals gathered at the newly expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center’s 60,000 square foot Terrace Ballroom.  This is the largest ballroom on the east coast!  BVT was a sponsor of the event, supplying 9 different acts on the main stage culminating with Back2Life closing out the event.  Thanks to BVT’s Bill McCue for putting this all together!



Jellyroll vocalist Tesa Williams and BVT Saxophonist Andrew Neu perform at the annual PCVB luncheon at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

We are very excited about the tremendous 2012 we have to look forward to.  Jellyroll will be performing at the Philadelphia Auto Show Black Tie Gala benefitting Children’s Hospital, at the new Pennsylvania Convention Center.  Contagious will be performing at the 2012 Heart Ball , and Strangers will be performing at the Alex’s Lemonade Stand “Lemon Ball”, both events at The Philadelphia Marriott.  On February 19^th, our BVT bands will rock the main stage at the Wells Fargo Center for the 35^th annual Philadelphia Flyers Wives Fight For Lives Carnival, with other BVT acts performing throughout the Center.  These are just a few of the events that we look forward to being part of, and there are more to come, so please keep an eye on our facebook page as well as our site here, and thank you for interest in BVT and our team of dance bands!

Kurt Titchenell
President
Brandywine Valley Talent

Brandywine Valley Talent had the pleasure of providing a  diverse host of musicians to perform for the annual Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) luncheon at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.  Every year, the convention takes place on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  It has traditionally included a sit-down lunch and a longer speaking program.  This year, the people at the PCVB decided to change things up.  The luncheon featured multiple stations for delicious fare as well as a fully stocked salad bar.  Guests had more of an opportunity to mingle and network and the actual program was much shorter than previous years. 

BVT was honored to create an ensemble of talented musicians to entertain the major players in Philadelphia's hospitality industry.  BVT's musicians took a short break for Mayor Michael Nutter's address about bringing new conventions to Philadelphia and educating the international community about what a great destination Philadelphia is.  Attendees were also treated to a video about everything Philadelphia has to offer.  Check it out!

BVT's Brian "Fitzy" Fitgerald took the stage first, playing all styles of violin in front of the backdrop of iconic Philly locations. 


He was joined by noted saxophonist, Andrew Neu, who just returned from a tour of Japan.

Later on, Midnight Hour's Joanne Farrell took the stage for a few solo tunes.

With the backdrop of one of the nation's most recognizable images, Jellyroll's Tesa Williams performed a few soulful tunes alongside Andrew Neu.

The afternoon ended with a dance set from BVT's Back2Life.  The band played on as guests finished catching up with one another and headed home for the Thanksgiving holiday.

BVT would like to thank everyone who helped make this event such a success.  A very special thanks to Danielle Cohn and Jennifer Roberts from the PCVB for helping to coordinate all these great performances.  Thanks also to Advanced Staging for their amazing work with the sound, lights, and video backdrops which gave the afternoon a true feel of Philadelphia.

BVT was proud to be part of such a great event and we hope to be involved for years to come!

Last week, NACE hosted a mock Mitzvah to both educate members who were not familiar with how Mitzvahs run and to remind and reinforce ways to throw a great Mitzvah to members who do Mitzvahs, but want to learn more.  The event was held at Rivercrest Golf Club . Thanks to their staff and everyone else involved, it was a great success.  The mock Mitzvah drew more members than usual and certainly had a lot more dancing than the average NACE meeting. 

http://www.philipgabriel.com/

Bobby Morganstein Productions helped to deck out the Rivercrest ballroom with an LED dance floor and stage, as well as a dynamic electronic backdrop for the band. 

http://www.philipgabriel.com/

Philadelphia icon, vocalist, bandleader and emcee, Big Ric Minter was on hand as master of ceremonies for the evening.  Having done numerous Mitzvahs, Big Ric was able to give valuable advice on how to run a Mitzvah from an entertainer's perspective.  While Big Ric had some great insight, he and his band also had the dance floor full of NACE members for most of the night.

http://www.philipgabriel.com/
DJ Brad from Bobby Morganstein productions ripped up the dance floor with some help from one of BMP's party enhancers. 

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Sarah Morrison, NACE's VP of Project Management and planner from All About Events , helped display how a Candle Lighting ceremony for a Mitzvah works. 

http://www.philipgabriel.com/
Longtime NACE member and former chapter president, Nick Waller was a great sport, volunteering to be the honorary Bar Mitzvah boy. 

http://www.philipgabriel.com/
Big Ric and his band got the team from the Hotel du Pont circling the dancefloor for the Horah portion of the night.

http://www.philipgabriel.com/
A panel of Mitzvah experts included Mitzvah pioneer and entrepreneur Bobby Morganstein, Stewart Mahan from the Westin Philadelphia , planner Melissa Paul , Phyllis Jablonowski from Eventricity , Eric Allen from the Four Seasons Philadelphia , Dominic Savino of Drexelbrook Catering .  The panel fielded questions about Mitzvahs ranging from the pacing of a party to how to mesh a DJ and a live band.

BVT was proud to be a part of such a fun and informative event and hopes to be involved in future NACE meetings of this caliber.  Thanks to Philip Gabriel Photography for the great photos and to everyone else who made this night such a success!

The Midnight Hour Band performed recently at a noteworthy wedding at The Radnor Hotel , in Philadelphia’s fashionable Main Line region.  The wedding was also noted in the society page of The New York Times. 

The bride for whom Midnight Hour performed was Brianna D’Amico, the granddaughter of Bob Gaudio, an original member and primary songwriter for The Four Seasons.  Bob Gaudio wrote all of the biggest hits for The Four Seasons, including “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”, “Oh What A Night”, “Who Loves You Pretty Baby”, “Walk Like A Man”, and “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, just to name a few.  An equally accomplished producer, Bob Gaudio also wrote the Broadway show “Jersey Boys” which tells the story of The Four Seasons’ rise to the top.  At the reception, Midnight Hour performed several medleys of Bob Gaudio’s songs, much to the delight of Bob and his family, who were all in attendance.  Bob was gracious enough to meet with the band after the reception and expressed his appreciation for the hard work we had put into preparing those songs for the big night.

Brianna noted to us after the reception, “I can't begin to tell you how special it was to have your amazing band play at our wedding.  People are still raving about how great the music was.  My grandfather said it to me again the next day.  He loved how you played his songs.” 

The groom, Josh Alcorn, is the finance director for Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, and works in Senator Reid’s offices in Washington, DC.  Attending the reception were several of Josh’s Capitol Hill acquaintances, and they were highly appreciative of the good time that the band helped to provide.  Josh also went out of his way to contact the band after the reception to thank us for playing some of his special requests.

[Pictured:  Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons, dancing with bride Brianna Alcorn – both are smiling and watching The Midnight Hour Band performing a special dance for them.  Thanks to Scott Nibauer Photgraphy for the great shot.]

City Rhythm will be performing for the 55th Anniversary of Sid Mark's legendary Sounds of Sinatra show on 1210 WPHT.  55 years ago Sid Mark started a Sinatra only radio show at the request of a listener.  Throughout the process, Sid and Frank became friends and all these years later, Sid is still paying tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes.

City Rhythm will be part of the entertainment which also includes comedian and impressionist Joe Piscopo and a champagne toast by WPHT personality Michael Smerconish.  City Rhythm will be performing in their 15-piece arrangement, and will be doing an authentic Frank Sinatra set featuring the area's premiere Sinatra Vocalist and City Rhythm bandmember, Steve Ritrovato.

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Jellyroll has had an unbelievable Summer.  In three consecutive weeks, the band was asked to play Delaware Today's "Best of Delaware" party, Philadelphia Magazine's "Best of Philly" party, and most recently, Main Line Today's "Best of the Main Line" party.

Jellyroll was honored once again by being named Best Party Band by Main Line Today , and in return, kept the dance floor rockin' all night long at the Best of the Main Line party at Drexelbrook .  Thanks to Main Line Today and everyone at Drexelbrook catering for making the night such a success!

Jellyroll vocalist, Ronin, gets the crowd going on the dance floor.

BVT's Back2Life played as a trio at the entrance to the party.

Despite his team's lack of size and consistent March collapses, the Villanova Wildcat was in good spirits!

Jellyroll vocalist, Dondi Allen serenades some of the guests.

Thanks to Todd Zimmerman from Pictures by Todd for the great shots.  Be sure to check out his website at http://www.picturesbytodd.com/

Jellyroll was honored to be the first band to ever play at the Cescaphe Event Group 's brand new event facility, Vie.  Hard work was being done around the clock to get Vie ready.  With some finishing touches, and the help of Brian Toner , the venue sparkled for the Best of Philly winners party. 

The Jellyroll front line.

Thanks to Philadelphia Magazine , Joe Volpe and the entire Cescaphe staff, and everyone else who made this great night possible.

Check back soon to see what's new with Jellyroll and the rest of the BVT roster.