The renowned Jersey Shore Pops, conducted by Linda Gentille, makes its Gateway Playhouse debut on Dec. 1
From Doo Wop to dueling violins, “Holiday Pops” offers a yuletide musical celebration for everyone. On Saturday, Dec. 1, Linda Gentille and the Jersey Shore Pops bring the popular annual Christmas show, with performances by Linda Gentille, Jacklyn Buckingham, The Dueling Violins and Keith Hickman, to the Gateway Playhouse. The show, which features holiday classics such as “White Christmas,” “Holy Night,” “Hallelujah,” “Amazing Grace” and many more, will be performed at 3 and 6 p.m. Tickets are $40 for either performance.
The mother and daughter team of Susan and Amina Elsayed, known as The Dueling Violins, will be featured in this concert. Susan Elsayed, former Concert Master of the Ocean City Pops, has performed with her daughter for the Pops since 2009. The duo has become one of the most popular attractions for the orchestra, impressing audiences with their high energy and musicianship.
Guest star Keith Hickman is a shore favorite with the ability to impersonate the original artists in virtually every genre of music, from Andrea Bocelli to ACDC. Hickman worked extensively in Nashville on his own projects, as well as performing as a background singer, once singing backup for the legendary Ronnie Milsap.
Singer Jacklyn Buckingham is a 2008 Graduate of Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater and a minor in Musical Theater. She has performed in numerous musicals, including “Les Miserables,” “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” “The World Goes Round” and “Cabaret.” She is currently a member of the Shaken Not Stirred Players, whose “Broadway By Request” show has wowed area audiences.
“Holiday Pops” will also feature Linda Gentille, the renowned conductor and entertainer who founded the Jersey Shore Pops in 2009. When not conducting the Jersey Shore Pops, Gentille is an in-demand entertainer, arranging music and traveling the world with her own big band orchestra, and conducting and performing over 75 concerts each year. Gentille appears on luxury cruise lines and in performing arts centers across the United States, combining seamlessly with hundreds of different musicians.
Tickets for “Holiday Pops” with Linda Gentille and the Jersey Shore Pops can be purchased at the Gateway Playhouse website, www.gatewaybythebay.org, in person at the Gateway Playhouse, 738 Bay Ave. in Somers Point, or by phone at (609) 653-0553. The Gateway Playhouse Box Office hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Friday.