Join the Friends of the Robbins Library for a brief Annual General Meeting followed by a wonderful evening of music and songs by Oscar Hammerstein performed by singer Will McMillan and singer/pianist Molly Ruggles.
Lyricist and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II is best known for his extraordinary work with composer Richard Rodgers on musicals and films such as Carousel, The Sound Of Music, The King And I, South Pacific, Oklahoma, and State Fair. During Hammerstein’s 40-year career he earned many awards and co-wrote songs which illuminate a range of human behavior from hope and joy to prejudice and grief. Will McMillan and Molly Ruggles breathe new life into many of the favorites including Oh, What A Beautiful Morning, Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man, Carefully Taught, Surrey with the Fringe On Top, and It’s a Grand Night for Singing.
Will McMillan has performed at venues ranging from Scullers Jazz Club (Boston) to 54 Below (NYC) to Yin Par Le Garcon Chinois (Shanghai). For years McMillan hosted Will & Company, a series at the Blacksmith House in Harvard Square highlighting local performers and songwriters, which earned him an IRNE Award for Best Cabaret Show in a Small Venue. He has released five CDs with other artists, including pianist Steve Sweeting, the vocal group At The Movies, singer Bobbi Carrey and pianist Doug Hammer; and a collection of original and cover songs with Molly Ruggles and Carole Bundy. You can learn more from his blog, AMusicalifeOnPlanetEarth.WordPress.com, or his web site, WillSings.com.
Molly Ruggles has played piano and conducted pit bands for Opryland USA in Nashville, the College Light Opera Company on Cape Cod, and Brown University in Rhode Island. She also led a house band at the Arboretum in Providence for five years, played with the band Bougainvillea, and performed with singers Henrietta Robinson and Lisa Thorson. Ms. Ruggles taught a songwriting seminar at MIT for seven years, produced a workshop performance of her original musical The Mis-Matched Pair, and recently recorded a CD with Carole Bundy and Will McMillan featuring Molly’s great vocal arrangements. Learn more at her web site, MollyRuggles.com.
This event will take place on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 7 pm in the Community Room of the Robbins Library. It is free and open to all.