Bach’s Lunch Concerts

September 27
Merry Travelers
Acoustic Guitar and Vocals
Folk

Merry Travelers, from Urbana, IL, capture a timeless, feel-good sound inspired by soul music, R&B, blues, and 70’s psychedelic rock. The band takes these influences and infuses a 21st century groovy flair. Merry Travelers duo is composed of Holly Monet & Charlie Harris, the “heart & soul” of the full band, bringing a more stripped down, folksy set–mellow yet groovy. The duo gives Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse feels, covering both of those artists and more, as well as playing Merry Travelers’ original material. The duo has been traveling with their music for over six years and bring a polished, professional performance every time.

November 1
Amanda Ramey & Michael Tilley
Violin & Piano
Argentine Tango

Michael Tilley serves as Musical Administrator for Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, as well as teaching Vocal Coaching and Accompanying majors. After receiving his Master’s in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado-Boulder (also bachelor’s degrees in piano and molecular biology), Prof. Tilley was hired as Musical Director for Franc D’Ambrosio’s national tours. During the last decade, he has served as music director for concerts and shows in New York City and throughout the country. As a conductor, he has led ensembles from Central City Opera, Opera Colorado, Emerald City Opera and Boulder Opera. He has been a featured performer with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and other regional orchestras, as well as with the Martha Graham Dance Company at the Vail International Dance Festival. His orchestrations and arrangements, from solo piano to full symphony to rock opera, have been heard across the country and abroad. He has also composed music for the stage and a feature-length soundtrack. He plays sings and writes for the Argentine Tango groups Extasis and Orquesta Tipica di Natural Tango. He is currently the Associate Music Director for The Four Phantoms In Concert.

Violinist Amanda Ramey is a performer and teacher who performs a wide variety of music, including Argentine tango, classical music, American and Irish fiddle, and klezmer. Trained as a classical violinist, she began performing tango in 2012. She is a founding member and music director of the tango orquesta típica Bandoneon Massacre in Urbana, IL and has had over 20 of her tango arrangements and transcriptions performed with the band. She has performed with Julián Peralta, Ramero Boero, Hugo Satorre, Pablo Aslan, Cuarteto

Tanguero, and Da Capo Tango Orchestra, and has received instruction from Julián Peralta, Guillermo Rubino, Pablo Aslan, and Ben Bogart.

December 6
David Howie
Guitar & Vocals
Pop

Signed to CBS records in the late 80’s, David has gone on to perform well over 3,000 shows! His current main project “The Live Jukebox “is a popular covers shows. But he’s always been a singer songwriter, and his solo material is rich in melodic content and full of observations of human behaviors, joy, love, loss, grief, rebirth, hope.