Celebrating Ella Fitzgerald, the 'First Lady of Song,' in Poughkeepsie

Did you know that Ella Fitzgerald had deep ties to the Hudson Valley?

Fitzgerald was born in Virginia but moved to Yonkers by the age of five. Although famously silent about her past and the difficulty she endured, the legendary jazz singer arrived at Hudson's Training School for Girls in 1933. When Fitzgerald escaped from the reformatory, she found herself in the middle of the Great Depression. She competed in the Apollo Theater Amateur Night, which launched her career. "The First Lady of Song," as Fitzgerald was known, was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she sold over 40 million albums and won 13 Grammy awards.

Fast forward to today, and many of the most well-known singers were inspired by Fitzgerald's music. In tribute to the queen of jazz, Poughkeepsie Rising is uplifting the performers of Poughkeepsie with "Ella's Jukebox Cafe: A Poughkeepsie Jazz Musical Revue" at The James & Betty Hall Theater at Dutchess Community College on Dec. 2 and 3.

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Poughkeepsie Rising's mission is to bring paid professional opportunities in the performing arts to up-and- coming artists and performers of all ages throughout the city of Poughkeepsie and Hudson Valley at large.

"Ella's Jukebox Cafe" is produced by The Living History Theater whose mission is to tell the stories of historically disregarded stories in innovative and interactive theatrical performances.

Imagine your favorite pop songs remixed into A Smokey Jazz or Big Band Era Tune. This event is directed and choreographed by Juson Williams. Williams is an American actor, singer, writer, director, choreographer, producer, and the Executive Artistic Director of the famed choir, JW's Inspirational Singers, which appeared on season 16 of "America's Got Talent."

Audiences can expect special guest performances by MPower with the Llanos Family, and Sisters in the Spirit of the Hudson Valley, which was established in 2015 have performed in churches in the Hudson Valley, Albany and North Carolina.

"When I signed on as a producer," Su of The Living History Theater stated, "the goal was to showcase local history in fun and engaging ways, and it amazes me that so many people didn't know that Ella Fitzgerald had once lived in the Hudson Valley."

Su goes on to say how the community has come together to put this debut production on. Including organizations like The Art Effect, Community Matters 2, Public Arts Commission, Beulah Baptist Church, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie Vassar College and many more.

The staging will captivate your heart and make you dance in your seat. Come in your best threads and walk the red carpet as you transport into a musical time warp of the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s! You don't want to miss this epic event!

If you go

What: "Ella's Jukebox Cafe: A Poughkeepsie Jazz Musical Revue"

Where: The James & Betty Hall Theater, 53 Pendell Road, Poughkeepsie

When: Dec. 2 and 3 at 8 p.m.

Contact: ellasjukeboxcafe@gmail.com; eventbrite.com/e/ellas-jukebox-cafe-a-poughkeepsie-jazz-musical-revue-tickets

Melissa Dvozenja-Thomas is the director of development and marketing for Arts Mid-Hudson. Art From Here appears every other week Sunday. Contact her at 845-454-3222 or melissa@artsmidhudson.org.

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Love Ella Fitzgerald? Check this musical revue in Poughkeepsie