Pianist Marvin Goldstein and vocalist Vanessa Joy announce ‘audience favorites’ concert in Rexburg

REXBURG — Pianist Marvin Goldstein and vocalist Vanessa Joy will bring their long-running collaboration to Rexburg on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Romance Theater at 2 East Main Street in Rexburg.

The concert will open with pre-show performances by local vocalists McKinley Rose Judd and Aidyn Kunz. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased here and seating is reserved.

The show will feature audience favorites, which the artists say is a mix of classics, Celtic melodies, modern hits, Broadway favorites and more.

Goldstein and Joy have been performing around the globe together for 16 years, recently returning from a “Peace with Music” concert tour in Spain, a program that aims to bridge cultural, religious, and political differences.

The musical pair originally met at a music business seminar in Mesa, Arizona, where Goldstein presented and gave attendees an opportunity to perform.

“When I heard her, it was the first time I ever thought to collaborate with a vocalist, because it was amazing,” Goldstein says. “When I heard her sing, I was so mesmerized by her performance that I asked the other pianist to play for her because I just wanted to listen.”

Soon after, they recorded an album together, and they’ve been performing together ever since.

Goldstein is an acclaimed pianist, composer, and arranger who has been performing for more than 60 years. At the age of 18, he was awarded a music scholarship to Tel Aviv University School of Music in Israel. He went on to study at The Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. He has produced 15 books of piano arrangements and has 455 tracks on Spotify. Read more about Goldstein here.

Joy was an accomplished violinist before she decided to focus on vocal performance.

“I realized that my voice and singing words did even more for audiences, and for me,” she says.

At the age of 13, Joy starred in her first operetta and was awarded Best Actress and Best Singer in the National Jr. Honor Society. She attended Brigham Young University on a music scholarship and has been recognized and awarded repeatedly at the state and national levels. Read more about Joy here.

“Vanessa is not just a vocalist, she is a great musician,” Goldstein says, adding that she has continued to grow as a performer over the course of their partnership. “She’s gotten better and better and better, and it just never stops.”

Joy says Goldstein keeps her on her toes, as every performance is different.

“Everything he does is improvised, so even with me, what he plays is new every time,” she says. “He doesn’t play the same accompaniment twice.”

Goldstein and Joy are excited to welcome local musicians Aidyn Kunz and McKinley Rose Judd as opening acts for the concert, which will be hosted by presenter Thomas Scott.

Judd says she has enjoyed singing her entire life, but got serious about it in 8th grade when Madison Jr. High School choir teacher Rachel Keppner gave students opportunities to sing solos between choir sets at their concerts. Judd caught the bug and says she has auditioned for every solo and participated in every musical theatre production and extracurricular opportunity available to her ever since. She listens to a wide variety of music and finds that her voice fits old, jazzy tunes the best.

“I love doing songs that everybody knows, but they wouldn’t expect,” Judd says. As an incoming sophomore, she is one of the newest members of Madison High School’s Vocal Spectrum, the school’s elite extracurricular vocal ensemble.

Kunz has been singing and performing as long as she can remember. She especially loves singing musical theatre and pop.

“I have loved to sing ever since I was 4 years old,” she says. “Ever since I could talk in full sentences, I was singing. I started performing in the second grade and I’ve just loved performing ever since.” She says her favorite show she’s been in was “Hairspray” at Center Stage Theatre in Idaho Falls, but her favorite role was as Anya/Anastasia in Madison High School’s production of “Anastasia.” She’s thrilled to get to share the stage with such accomplished musicians.

“It’s really exciting,” she says. “I freaked out a little inside because I was so excited, so I really appreciate the opportunity.”

Business sponsorships are available for those who would like to collaborate and support the production. For information on sponsorship options, email hello@tetonriverarts.org. Teton River Arts & Commerce is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and donations are tax-deductible.

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