Grammy-nominated recording artist Calabria Foti, a native of Olean, and world-renowned trombone virtuoso Bob McChesney return to their Western New York roots as they open the 2024-2025 performance season at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts with a performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27.

This special musical homecoming, offered in association with Friends of Good Music, is titled “From Bebop to Broadway,” and features an exciting blend of jazz and beloved show tunes.

Foti’s sensual vocals along with McChesney’s buttery trombone playing can be heard daily on SiriusXM’s “Siriusly Sinatra” and “Real Jazz,” and on traditional pop and jazz radio around the globe.

Born in Olean and raised in Fredonia among a family of musicians and music educators, Foti is a singer, violinist, composer, arranger, author, and educator. Passionate about movie musicals and classic films of the late 1920s on, Foti calls herself a “throwback” in love with the period of American history that produced the songs of the Great American Songbook and the films from The Golden Age of Hollywood.

Equally at home performing musical theater, jazz, cabaret, or her own songs, Foti has been called a “master of improvisation and interpretation” and her voice has graced several major motion picture and television soundtracks.

McChesney, a Baltimore native and graduate of SUNY Fredonia, began playing the trombone in fourth grade as part of a public school music program. He since has evolved into a world-renowned trombone soloist and an authority on trombone pedagogy. McChesney’s trademarks as a trombonist are his smooth, lightning-fast technique, his mastery of jazz harmony, beautiful sound, and a strong emotional connection to the music. With complete mastery of the instrument, McChesney has distinguished himself as one of the world’s preeminent trombone soloists. A prominent figure in the Los Angeles recording studio scene, he has enjoyed a career in scoring films, television shows and albums.

“This dynamic duo enjoys performing to sold-out crowds, combining their enormous talents and warm personalities for a fun, engaging evening of entertainment. They will swing, sway and charm their way into your heart,” said Rachel Harris, executive director of the Quick Center.

Tickets are $25 each with $5 from each ticket sale going to the Endowment for Warming House Sustainability. For 50 years, St. Bonaventure’s student-run Warming House has been addressing the food insecurity problem in the Olean area.

Additional performances in the 2024-2025 season include:

• 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18: Cellist Luis B. Castro offers a stirring performance in the inaugural Emerging Artist Series with Samuel Vargas, violin; Grace Betry, piano; and Betania Canas, flute.
• 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17: The New York Theater Ballet will present a one-hour program that brings life to the timeless tale of “Firebird,” featuring delightful choreography by Richard Holden. The magical experience will captivate audiences of all ages.
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6: The side-splitting “Vickie and Nickie’s Holiday Sleigh Ride,” featuring multi-instrumental, singing housewife sisters who celebrate the season “Minnesota-style.”
• 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8: Ed. Simone, former longtime professor and director of the theater program at St. Bonaventure, returns with his beloved “A Christmas Carol, A Retelling by Ed. Simone.”
• 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025: Acclaimed soloist and chamber musician Jennifer Hayghe performs “Girl Power: Piano Music Written By, For and About Women.”
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 14, 2025: The Reverón Piano Trio introduces the audience to underrepresented music from Latin America alongside contemporary and standard repertoire.
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, 2025: The Atlantic Brass Quintet closes the season with their masterful and vibrant presentations of repertoire spanning five centuries and a broad spectrum of styles.

For detailed information about all of the performances visit the Quick Center for the Arts’ Performing Arts webpage at www.sbu.edu/qcaperformances.

Single concert tickets, unless otherwise noted, are $20 at full price, $18 for senior citizens and St. Bonaventure employees, and $5 for students.

For tickets and information, call The Quick Center at (716) 375-2494.

For each performance, The Quick Center galleries will open one hour before the performance and remain open through the intermission. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Noon to 4 p.m. on the weekends when classes are in session.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).