July 19, 2026 3:00pm
The Emerson Center - 1590 27th Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960
What's Playing?
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
WARREN (ARR. HOLCOMBE) Forty Second Street
KANDER (ARR. HOLCOMBE) Cabaret
SCHWANDT / ANDRÉ / KHAN / KAHN Dream a Little Dream of
WALLER / BROOKS / RAZAF Ain’t Misbehavin
LLOYD WEBBER Evita
JACOBS Grease
GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
BOND Rhapsody For a Blue Clarinet, by George!
Program Information
"Songs that don’t just sparkle — they strut, soar, and steal the spotlight."
Lights Up on Broadway is a high-energy celebration of the songs, stories, and larger-than-life moments that define American musical theater. From the first note, Your Space Coast Symphony Orchestra transforms the concert hall into Broadway itself — bold, colorful, and alive with character.
At the heart of the program is Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with pianist Julian Bond, alongside the world premiere of Bond’s Rhapsody for a Blue Clarinet, by George!, performed by Jennifer Royals — a playful, virtuosic tribute that slips naturally into this world of glamour, rhythm, and theatrical flair.
From the sparkle of 42nd Street and the bite of Cabaret to Evita and Grease, the program moves effortlessly between eras, styles, and emotions. The concert also features the vocal debut of Jordan Bicasan, a longtime violinist of the orchestra, stepping into the spotlight for the beloved American standards Dream a Little Dream of Me and Ain’t Misbehavin’.
Nostalgic, electric, and filled with unforgettable melodies, Lights Up on Broadway is Broadway at full power — immediate, glamorous, and impossible to sit still through.
Inside the Music
There is a particular kind of energy that only Broadway music seems capable of creating. Not just excitement, though there is plenty of that here, but immediacy — music written to land emotionally in real time, to sweep an audience into a story before they’ve even had a chance to resist it. Broadway has always understood something fundamental about American music: sophistication means very little if the audience doesn’t feel something.
That idea runs through every corner of Lights Up on Broadway.
At the center of the program is George Gershwin, the composer who perhaps more than anyone else helped define what American theatrical music could become. Long before Broadway and the concert hall fully embraced one another, Gershwin was already blurring the boundaries between jazz, symphonic writing, popular song, and theater. Rhapsody in Blue still feels revolutionary because it captures the sound of a country in motion — restless, glamorous, energetic, sophisticated, and unapologetically alive.
That spirit continues in Julian Bond’s Rhapsody for a Blue Clarinet, by George!, a playful and virtuosic new work performed by Jennifer Royals. Rather than simply imitating Gershwin, Bond treats his musical language like a living conversation, allowing the clarinet to slip effortlessly between jazz-infused swagger, lyrical warmth, and theatrical sparkle. The result feels less like a historical tribute and more like Gershwin’s musical world suddenly reappearing in the present tense.
From there, the concert expands outward into the larger universe Broadway helped create.
42nd Street bursts forward with pure show-business momentum — tap shoes, bright lights, and Depression-era optimism transformed into orchestral energy. Cabaret moves into darker territory, where glamour and danger begin occupying the same stage. Evita turns Broadway into near-operatic spectacle, overflowing with ambition, drama, and emotional intensity. Even Grease, beneath its nostalgia and irresistible charm, reflects Broadway’s ability to transform ordinary teenage experience into something mythic and larger than life.
Throughout the evening, the music never stays still for very long. That is part of what makes Broadway music uniquely American. It evolves constantly, absorbing jazz, swing, opera, popular song, dance music, and whatever else it encounters along the way.
The concert’s most intimate moments arrive with Jordan Bicasan’s vocal debut in Dream a Little Dream of Me and Ain’t Misbehavin’. These songs remind us that American standards endure because they leave space for personality. No two performers sing them the same way. The phrasing shifts. The timing changes. A lyric suddenly means something new. The music survives because performers continue breathing themselves into it.
And perhaps that is the real story this concert tells.
Broadway music lasts not because it sits safely preserved behind glass, but because each generation finds new life inside it. Gershwin’s rhythms still pulse. The melodies still soar. The emotions still land instantly. The spotlight simply passes from one performer to the next.
By the end of the evening, the concert hall has transformed into something larger than itself — part jazz club, part Broadway stage, part symphonic spectacle. Glamorous, restless, heartfelt, excessive in all the best ways, and fully alive.
Exactly the way American musical theater was always meant to be.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $35 in advance for adults and are available through our website or by calling (855) 252-7276. Tickets can also be purchased in person at any Marine Bank & Trust location. To find a ticket outlet near you, click here. Tickets at the door are $40. All seating is general admission — seats are not assigned.
All SCSO concerts are free for those 18 and under or any college student with a valid student ID. Discounted tickets are available through the Symphony for Everyone program.
Season 18 All Access Pass and Flex Ticket holders: Your pass or flex tickets are valid for this concert and all Season 18 subscription concerts. All Access Pass holders will find their reserved seats waiting. Flex ticket holders do not need to call ahead — simply present your tickets at the door upon arrival.
Artist Information
Julian Bond is an internationally recognized pianist, composer, and arranger whose career is defined by a unique synthesis of classical discipline and contemporary versatility. Born in Winchester, England, Bond’s musical foundation was established early, beginning his piano studies at age seven. He later transitioned to London to attend the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he graduated with honors in composition. His early professional life in the United Kingdom was marked by significant academic and industry accolades. He was a recipient of the EMI "Make Music" award and the Alexander Grotsz Prize for composition, establishing him as a rising talent in the European music scene. His trajectory shifted toward the United States in 2004, when he was named one of the top ten young film score composers in the country by Turner Classic Movies—a distinction that underscored his ability to translate narrative and visual themes into compelling musical scores.
Now based in Orlando, Florida, Bond has become a pivotal figure in the regional and international entertainment industry. He maintains a long-standing professional relationship with Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, contributing as an arranger, conductor, and featured performer. His work for these organizations requires a masterly command of various styles, from intimate jazz arrangements for the Julian Bond Trio to large-scale orchestrations for theme park attractions and corporate events.
Beyond the concert hall and studio, Bond’s professional identity is remarkably multifaceted. He is a published composer through industry leaders such as J.W. Pepper and Barnhouse, providing original repertoire for educational and professional ensembles. Furthermore, he has successfully expanded his career into the performing arts as a professional magician and an actor, appearing in television productions such as the Amazon Prime series Guns For Hire. Today, Julian Bond continues to be a prolific force in the arts, balancing his roles as a digital content creator, educator, and world-class performer. His career serves as a modern blueprint for the versatile musician, blending traditional British training with the dynamic demands of the American entertainment industry.
Jennifer Blahnik Royals, a native of Vero Beach and principal clarinetist for the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, has been playing the clarinet for over twenty-five years. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of Arts degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Central Florida. While an undergraduate student, she was chosen for advanced clarinet studies in France. Ms. Royals has studied privately with Ivan Wansley, Keith Koons, and Nora Lee Garcia. Additionally, she has taken master classes from Stanley Drucker, Robert Spring, Michele Gingras, Alessandro Carbonare, and Charles Neidich.
Ms. Royals has played with various orchestras and ensembles including Treasure Coast Wind Ensemble, the Vero Beach Chamber Orchestra, the Sunshine Clarinet Quartet, Treasure Coast Opera, Central Florida Lyric Opera, Bulgaria’s Teatro Lirico D’Europa, Orlando Light Opera, Lakeside Chamber Players, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Haifa Symphony, Space Coast Pops Orchestra, and the Licorice Sticks Clarinet Orchestra. As a founding member of the Space Coast Symphony, she has been featured in several chamber concerts as well as four solo performances with the orchestra. Jennifer is a member of the International Clarinet Association and has performed at the 2010 Clarinet Fest in Austin, Texas, the 2013 Clarinet Fest in Assisi, Italy (where she premiered new pieces for clarinet quartet), the 2014 Clarinet Fest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and will be performing at the 2017 Clarinet Fest in Orlando. In addition to her active concert schedule, Royals is a sought after clinician who provides private clarinet instruction to middle and high school players in Indian River County. Her students routinely earn top seats in the Florida All-State.
Jordan Bicasan grew up in the Philippines, where his first violin "lessons" happened on a cardboard cutout before his family could afford an instrument. That early resourcefulness stuck. After immigrating to the United States, he spent years seeking out great teachers wherever he could find them — studying at The City College of New York, DePaul University, the University of Oregon, the University of Texas, and the University of Colorado before earning his Bachelor of Music from the University of Central Florida under Dr. Chung Park, where he also served as Concertmaster of the UCF Symphony Orchestra.
Now based in Altamonte Springs, Bicasan performs regularly with orchestras throughout Central Florida, including the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. When he's not on stage, he works as a full-time music teacher — a role shaped by his own early experiences navigating limited access to instruments and instruction. His mission is straightforward: make more music.
