Steve Lippia will perform as Frank Sinatra at the Lima Symphony Orchestra’s New Year’s Eve show.
LIMA — Lima residents will get a Frank Sinatra show to help ring in the new year courtesy of the Lima Symphony Orchestra.
Grammy-nominated singer Steve Lippia will perform as the voice of the crooner in the show at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Veterans Memorial Civic Center.
“I think it’s just going to be a wonderful, fun evening,” Elizabeth Brown-Ellis, executive director of the orchestra said. “Obviously, our orchestra will be there in force, but we’ll also have some jazz musicians with us. It’ll be a mix of classical music, jazz music and these incredible Sinatra tunes that people have known their whole lives.”
Brown-Ellis said that fans of Sinatra will believe they are listening to the Chairman of the Board himself if they close their eyes.
“Steve was with us 12 years ago and he is one of the foremost Sinatra singers in the country now,” she said. “He really was just so incredible that many people asked me if we would bring him back. And we finally had the opportunity this year.”
But Lippia is not strictly an impersonator.
“He is so good at what he does,” Brown-Ellis said. “He definitely adds his own twist to the music, but he really has this voice that I think people will really enjoy.”
Brown-Ellis said that it will be a good chance for the audience to see the orchestra differently.
“I think that’s what I’ve enjoyed so much about this season,” she said. “Every concert has been different from the one before. We’re changing gears now from the ‘Bells, Brass and Bows’ concert because it’s not so often you see a drumset on stage and five saxophones at the symphony.”
It also helps that there is something special about listening to Sinatra on New Year’s Eve.
“It’s an energetic show,” Brown-Ellis said. “But it’s also a bit nostalgic and there’s sophistication behind Sinatra, but also a real charm. I think that’s what people can expect and what I think they’ll leave with.”
Since the show is at 7:30, it should leave plenty of time for the audience to celebrate into the night or head home to watch the ball drop with the family.
“It’s a great way to start your evening or end it if you would rather be in bed at midnight,” Brown-Ellis said. “You can still go out and do something for New Year’s Eve and feel like you’ve celebrated. Whatever you want to do afterward is up to you, but I think it’s a great start to the evening.”
For more information on the show and the Lima Symphony Orchestra, visit their website, limasymphony.com.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
