Interview: Grammy Winner Melissa Manchester Is LIVE AT THE MCCALLUM With The Coachella Valley Symphony
By: David Green May. 03, 2018
Grammy Winner Melissa Manchester Joins The Coachella Valley Symphony for a very special "one night only" concert that will feature her greatest hits and more on Saturday, May 12 at 7:00 pm at The McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. Ms. Manchester may be best known for her hits "Midnight Blue", "Whenever I Call You Friend" and "Don't Cry Out Loud" but her illustrious career also includes work on stage, in film and television. I had the opportunity to catch up with Ms. Manchester as she was preparing for her upcoming concert in the desert. Here are a few excerpts from that interview.
DG: What can audiences expect from your upcoming concert in the desert?
MM: They can expect a variety of songs representing different chapters of my long career, from the hits "Midnight Blue," "Don't Cry Out Loud" and "Through The Eyes of Love" to songs from my 1989 album, Tribute which paid homage to several of the great women singers that taught me so much about the art and craft of singing, as well as my recently-released 21st album The Fellas, which completed the idea of paying tribute to some of the great male singers that meant the world to me as well.
DG: How has your interpretation or perspective changed on songs that you have been singing in concert for many years?
MM: I have had the great good fortune of bringing my life's experience to inform the inner life of those songs that I've sung for decades. The experience of singing then unfolds as one of deepening wisdom and expression when I perform.
DG: What is a "bucket list" career/professional goal that you are still hoping to accomplish?
MM: I would like to write a book about what I've observed and learned. I'd like to have my choral pieces performed by a chorus of a thousand voices. I'd like to write for theatre more and more.
DG: Do you have a desire to appear on Broadway ? Any plans?
MM: I've never appeared on Broadway although I did compose a musical, I Sent A Letter To My Love, which played at Primary Stages. I also took over the role created by Bernadette Peters for the national tour of Song And Dance. But yes, I like the idea of being on Broadway a lot, particularly if it's to create a new role.
DG: With all the current Broadway "revivals" successfully coming to the stage as of late -- is there a role you would love to see "revived" for you?
MM: I'd be happy to star in a concert version of Gypsy but I think doing that eight times a week would surely flatten me.
DG: What professional projects are you currently working on?
MM: I'm currently promoting The Fellas as well as tidying up the score for my musical Sweet Potato Queens which is being represented for licensing by TRW. I love writing for theatre ... there's no twelve step program to halt that addiction.
DG: What's one thing you wish you had known prior to pursuing a career in professional entertainment?
MM: I wish I had trusted my gut instincts more, made some wiser decisions, let fewer crazy people into my life. That said, I learned from everyone who's crossed my path, the saints and the scoundrels.
DG: Thinking WAY ahead ... When all is "said and done" -- how do you want to be remembered? MM: I hope I'm remembered as a torch bearer for the journey of the artist. I hope I show younger ones that the gaining of courage, character and wisdom come only as a result of time, experience and age.
Don't miss The Coachella Valley Symphony's Melissa Manchester LIVE AT THE MCCALLUM on May 12 at 7:00 pm. For tickets call (760) 340-2787 or visit www.cvsymphony.com.
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