Chicago native hopeful that Feb. 3 concert can be a breakthrough

SUN CITY – Anthony Kawalkowski isn’t sure if he’s going to make this month’s mortgage – that’s how much he believes (and has personally invested in) his style of show: a 22-musician orchestra that brings musicality and entertainment to audiences.

“This was an idea that originated at [the American Conservatory of Music]. I wrote this thing down, this idea, but everyone said no one would want it, that it’s passé. And shame on me, I let myself be defeated and made my living just as a commercial musician.

“Now I’ve noticed that the class and culture have changed, and pretty much everything’s gone to the way of DJ’s and the iPods, so I figured I either have to create work or do something,” the Chicago-native Kawalkowski said.

It wasn’t until last summer that Kawalkowski first tried out his idea at a concert in Oak Brook and upon seeing the crowd’s reaction decided to pursue it with a “full speed ahead” mentality.

“Those who were attached knew the risks. I told them there wouldn’t be any money at the start and it might take some time to get where it needs to go, but this is a shot to the top, a way to provide a future for my career and a future for the careers of my other musicians,” he said.

The Anthony Kawalkowski Orchestra and Singers has toured the Chicago area since, performing at weddings, formal balls, anniversaries, or corporate events. However, Kawalkowski is looking to take it to the next step.

And that’s where Sun City comes in.

In October, during a separate gig in Santa Fe, N.M., representatives from the Lensig Theater in Santa Fe and the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas, approached Kawalkowski and informed him how good of an idea he had and asked if he had any samples of work to pass around. He didn’t.

“I had no idea what I was about to get into. I worked every hour every day, and I had no idea what it takes to put together a formal production like this. I knew I needed to find arrangements and change them or rearrange the song to fit my style of show and that these songs would have to be rehearsed until they were just right.

“I knew I needed to do all these things, and I knew the recording was going to cost thousands of dollars, but more importantly, I knew I needed a room. Del Webb immediately came into my mind. I’d been hired by them twice in the past, and I remembered [the Drendel Ballroom] and how it’s such a beautiful stage. Then I thought, if the people would come, we’d have a built-in audience,” Kawalkowski said.

“Next thing I knew, I was on the phone with Jane [Tennant]. I told her my dream and told her what I was looking for, and she welcomed it with open arms,” he said.

Kawalkowski’s orchestra and singers will make its way to the ballroom on Sunday, Feb. 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. and will be recorded live for his demo. He mentioned, as well, that if the quality is good, he would consider selling it as a concert DVD or CD.

The two-hour concert, which falls on Super Bowl Sunday (something Kawalkowski is aware of), will provide selections from Strauss, Vietnamese waltzes, operatic pieces, country western, three swing tunes, and more modern pieces like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Neil Diamond, Jimmy Buffett, Elvis Presley, and Andrea Boccelli. Specifics were not mentioned to “keep some of the surprise.”

Kawalkowski has a long history with the violin – he started practicing when he was five years old.

“My future was pretty much planned from the womb. My dad’s oldest brother was a professional violinist. He played on the radio and in the theater and even with Lawrence Welk on occasion. He was a busy musician and was very well-known, and my dad wanted the same thing for his first-born son. And then I entered the picture and was named for my uncle, and he was made my godfather,” he said.

Kawalkowski didn’t really start until he was nine but would spend the next years battling over his love of music and his desire to play baseball. Kawalkowski said his teachers would even draw caricatures of him as a baseball player singing and catching a fly ball in his mouth.

He stuck with music, but he wouldn’t call himself a “typical musician.”

“I work on cars; I have inventions. I fix a lot of stuff, and I create things, yet music is in my heart and my soul.”

He hopes that love can transfer into his show and hopes that concertgoers feel the same way.
“I believe that everyone who comes there will have a lovely afternoon and will have a sense that they’re involved. I’m trying to keep my anxiety level down as we get closer, but there’s been a lot going into it so far.”

Tickets to the Feb. 3 show are still available at $7 per person; the price will increase to $12 the day of the show.

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