Brandon LeRoy and Marissa Bailey will be debuting their new show “Amore” on the Antero Main Stage of the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival on August 31 at 12:00 p.m.  They will be accompanied by the live WVIHF orchestra under the direction of Phil Wyatt.  “Amore” is a musical tribute to Italian heritage, family, and friends, featuring a variety of music from classics such as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra to more modern hits by Michael Bublé and Josh Groban.  This will be an exciting new show for the whole family!

 

Brandon LeRoy is a BHS Alum graduating in 2011.  He has been a local performer and musician for many years throughout the state and is currently a senior at West Virginia University, majoring in Civil Engineering.  Over the past few years, he has joined Amici on the main stage of the WVIHF, being a featured saxophonist during their evening performances, along being the featured saxophonist at the WVIHF Bella Notte dinner.  Also for the Festival, he has performed on the Showcase Stage performing various vocal and saxophone numbers for the last three years. 

 

Brandon also is a cantor and saxophonist for the All Saints Catholic Church Choir under the direction of Stephen Pishner. Recently, Brandon has been added to the troupe at Vintage Theater Company under the direction of Jason Young, where he has vocally performed for their “Love Songs by Request” and was an actor in their Murder Mystery Dinner Fundraisers.

 

He has been the lead in multiple Bridgeport High School musical productions, including West Side Story (Riff), The Wizard of Oz (Cowardly Lion), and Seussical the Musical (Wickersham Bro.). Also for BHS, he was the Drum Major of the marching band, the saxophone section leader, and the lead saxophonist in the Bridgeport High School Jazz Band. 

 

Brandon has studied voice under many local musicians, such as Greg Laur, Pam Krall, and Kristal Medina-Lake and also studied saxophone under Randal Hall and celebrity saxophonist, Kenni Holman.

 

Marissa Bailey is a senior at Robert C. Byrd High School who loves to perform throughout the state.  She was a member of the RCB Dance Team for three years,  Eagle Cabinet Junior Chairman, and a member of Student Council, she is also a state HOBY ambassador. As a senior Marissa will be RCB’s Student Body President and is the reigning Miss Discovery Trail Outstanding Teen. In July she competed for the state title West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen where she won the talent award for singing an Italian opera.

 

For the past three years, she has loved singing on the WVIHF main stage with Amici as a guest performer. With a love of musical theatre, Marissa has been in numerous musical productions, recently she had the role of Maria in RCB’s musical,  The Sound of Music, and previously played Belle in RCB’s Musical Beauty and the Beast. She studies voice under Pam Krall, and attended WV Governor’s School for the Arts on the Vocal Track. 

 

She has sung the National Anthem for Senator Joe Manchin on several occasions, along with singing for the WVIHF 5k race and the pasta cook off. Marissa loves cantering at All Saints Catholic Church under the direction of Stephen Pishner and is very strong in her faith.

Since the creation of the Bella Notte Valentine’s Dinner, Marissa has been a guest singer at the event.  Singing at the WV Italian Heritage Festival Mass each year is one of her favorite festival traditions. She has participated in the festival each year since age 3 with the WVIHF dancers singing in Italian, and many years with the Florence Chico Cann group.

 

Learn more about the performances here.