NAHANT — Celebrated Nahant-based songstress Ute Gfrerer wants to offer audiences something a little different this Valentine’s Day.
Accompanied by accomplished pianist Scott Nicholas, the duo’s cabaret concert, All About Love, will be held in Winchester’s newly-renovated Ripley Chapel Friday.
“We picked different styles of music, but the theme is love. It’s funny songs, it’s romantic songs,” Gfrerer said. She added the program is meant to provide audiences with an alternative to typical Valentine’s Day clichés.
“Chocolate, dinner, and flowers? Why not go to a romantic concert to woo your partner?” she said.
In preparation for the performance, Gfrerer hand-picked pieces she felt would appeal to a wide audience. Described as a “dynamic and inspiring evening” by the chapel’s website, Friday night’s repertoire will showcase works from a long list of beloved musicians and composers, including Kurt Weill, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Friedrich Hollaender, and Edith Piaf.
Gfrerer’s stoic Austrian upbringing may have contributed to her enthusiasm for the romantic holiday.
“Where I come from in Austria, we never talked about love that much,” she said. “My parents never said ‘I love you’ like parents do here. I knew they loved me, but they wouldn’t say it (out loud). People here, I think, are more affectionate, but we still often don’t express what we are feeling, what we appreciate about the other person, and what we are grateful for.”
She says music can be the most meaningful way to show appreciation for loved ones.
“I think music touches the heart more than anything else can. Even if you just want to fall in love with love again, or just be reminded of memories, music can trigger so much,” she said.
Gefrerer will also perform three previously unreleased, original songs written by good friend and Grammy-nominated harpist Deborah Henson-Conant.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I think it’s going to be heartwarming,” Gfrerer said. “There’s romance, there’s humor, a little heartbreak. It’s a good mix of what love can be.”
All About Love: A Valentine’s Day Concert begins at 7:30. General admission tickets are $10 and can be purchased ahead of time online at brownpapertickets.com. More information about the show and samples of Gfrerer’s previous work are available at fcc-winchester.com/latest-news.
