Manilow, Swindell, more booked for Santander venues, Chase Matthew headlining Reverb [Spotlight]

Apr. 30—Seven new shows, including crooner Barry Manilow and country star Cole Swindell, have been added to the schedules at downtown Reading's Santander Arena and its sister venue, the Santander Performing Arts Center.

Manilow, a Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning music icon, will bring his summer tour to the arena on Aug. 18. He has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide, making him one of the world's all-time best-selling recording artists. He has had 50 Top 40 singles, including 12 No. 1s and 27 Top 10 hits. He is ranked as the No. 1 Adult Contemporary Artist of all time, according to Billboard and R&R magazines.

Some of his biggest hits include "Could It Be Magic," "Looks Like We Made It," "Mandy," "I Write the Songs," "Can't Smile Without You" and "Copacabana (At the Copa)."

Twelve-time chart-topping, multi-platinum country star Swindell will play the arena on Oct. 27 as part of his Twelve Tour 2023, with special guests Nate Smith and Avery Anna.

Last April, Swindell released his fifth studio album, "Stereotype," which charted three back-to-back, platinum-certified, multi-week No. 1 hits: "Single Saturday Night," "Never Say Never" (with Lainey Wilson) and, most recently, his five-week chart-topper, "She Had Me at Heads Carolina," which has garnered five ACM Award nominations.

In the seven years since his debut on Warner Music Nashville, Swindell has racked up 12 No. 1 singles as an artist — 13 as a songwriter — as well as 12 certified platinum singles, a platinum-certified debut album ("Cole Swindell"), a platinum-certified sophomore effort ("You Should Be Here") and a gold-certified third album ("All of It").

His Grammy-nominated hit "Break Up In The End" was named the 2019 NSAI Song of the Year, and he earned two nominations (Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year) for "Never Say Never" at the 56th CMA Awards.

Also added to the schedule, all at the Santander Performing Arts Center, were Disney-Pixar's "Coco" Live-to-Film Concert on Oct. 7, country singer Amy Grant on Oct. 22, comedian John Crist's Emotional Support Tour on Nov. 16, blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa on Nov. 21 and Derek Hough Symphony of Dance featuring Hayley Erbert on Dec. 2.

Tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com.

Music

One of country music's hottest newcomers, Chase Matthew, will headline a concert at Reverb, 1402 N. Ninth St., on May 12.

With more than 1 million followers across social media and 1.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Matthew is Warner Music Nashville's newest signee. The Nashville native made his Grand Ole Opry debut on March 14 and has plans to release his sophomore album, "Come Get Your Memory," on June 9.

The 25-track project follows Matthew's breakout 2022 debut, "Born for This." It is packed with rock-driven anthems including "Make a Memory," "Moonlight" and his previously-released streaming hit, "Love You Again."

Tickets for the Reverb show are $25 at reverbconcerts.com.

----Reading Choral Society will perform Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Schaeffer Auditorium at Kutztown University and next Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Muhlenberg High School auditorium.

Directed by Dr. Graham Bier, RCS music director and conductor, the concerts will feature soloists Mark Hightower as Elijah; Katelyn Grace Jackson, soprano; Robin Bier, alto; Bradley King, tenor; Jarrod Miller, tenor; and Andrew Schucker, youth (Friday performance only). Joining Reading Choral Society will be the Muhlenberg High School Camerata Choir. The choirs will be accompanied by the Kutztown University Orchestra.

Since leaving his 15 year teaching career in 2022, Hightower has sung the role of Hariadeno in Cavalli's L'Ormindo at the Théâtre National Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco, and performed as bass soloist for the Beethoven 9th Symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New Jersey Capital Philharmonic.

He also recently took the opera stage as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte at the Trentino Music Festival in Italy and as Frank in Die Fledermaus with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Germany.

The featured oratorio depicts events in the life of the Prophet Elijah. The turbulent 51-piece Kutztown University Orchestra depicts this tragedy. The ensuing chorus people beg for God's help. The piece overflows with images of fire, sacrifice, storm, water rushing, earthquake, whirlwinds and a miraculous ascent into heaven.

Tickets cost $15 in advance at www.readingchoral.org or $20 at door, and $10 for students.

Art

Art Plus Gallery, West Reading, has announced the 30 artists selected to participate in the eighth annual Plein Air West Reading, co-sponsored by the Berks Art Alliance. The artists, who will be coming from six states, were chosen from recent examples of their landscape paintings by juror Nancy Tankersley, a nationally renowned painter and cofounder of the prestigious Plein Air Easton, Md.

The artists will vie for over $6,000 in awards, including two $1,000 first prizes: one for the best painting done in West Reading, the second done anywhere in Berks County. The painting will begin on June 12 and culminate as a main exhibit at Art on the Avenue, West Reading's street festival on June 17.

Participating artists are Lissa Abrams, Baltimore, Md.; Sarah Baptist, Wilmington, Del.; Bruno Baran, Nottingham, Md.; Edward Bell, Philadelphia; Lori Cusick, Dallas, Texas; Karen Burnette Garner, Robesonia; Indira Cariappa, Pottsown; Melissa Carroll, Lancaster; Jay Dombach, Lancaster; Cary Galbraith, West Chester; Paul Gallo, Middletown; Cheryl Hart, Pottstown; Marita Hines, Marietta; Edwin Humpal, Spring City; Fred Jackson, King of Prussia; Charlene Jobe, Reading; Joanne McIlvaine, Lancaster; Zoungy Kligge, Reading; Jane Knighton, Glenwood, Md.; Melanie Landrith, Paoli; Gwen Leuschner, Williamstown; Ed Lewandowski, Bridgeville, Del.; Mimi Little, Port Republic, Md.; Denise McDaniel, Columbus, N.J.; Debra Moffitt, Williamsport; Mitchell Saler, Middletown, N.Y.; Russell Slocum, Wyomissing; Donna Unger, Wyomissing; Karen Weber, St. Lawrence; and Steven J. White, Birdsboro.

For more information visit www.artplusgallerypa.com