Fred Krug and Brian Crane met in high school more than 30 years ago, bonded over Simon and Garfunkel, and have spent the time since working out how two people actually replicate that — the specific acoustic alchemy of voices that fit together so precisely the result sounds both effortless and, if you try to pull it apart, nearly impossible. Audience testimonials from their recent shows suggest they’ve gotten there. “The harmony was spectacular,” one listener reported, “and at times I would close my eyes and they sounded like…” That trailing ellipsis is probably the highest compliment a tribute act can earn.
About the Show
On Bleecker Street brings their Simon and Garfunkel tribute to the Clemens Center in Elmira on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m., presented by Piper Entertainment with backing from local session players. The program spans the Simon and Garfunkel catalog: greatest hits and deeper cuts, all delivered with “stunning accuracy.” Running time is one hour and 30 minutes, with a 20-minute intermission. All ages.
Krug’s musical background runs through the Eastman School of Music, where he earned a bachelor’s degree with high honors in classical guitar, composition, and theory, founded the Eastman Guitar Quartet, and later taught at the National Guitar Summer Workshop. He works as a producer and currently teaches at the Taft School in Connecticut. Crane came to the partnership from a different direction: church choir, college vocal work that once drew Bobby McFerrin’s attention at a workshop, a stint with the DC jam-band Mobia’s Trip, and regional solo performance. He sings with the Susquehanna Valley Chorale and has performed Verdi’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall. The pair has toured across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic: Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, and New York, with sold-out appearances at the Booth Theater, concerts-in-the-park across the Susquehanna region, and standing-room private events in Florida.
Venue & Logistics
The Clemens Center, at 207 Clemens Center Pkwy in Elmira, gives the Southern Tier a proper theater space for a performance that rewards attentive listening. Show time is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
General admission is $45, plus processing and facility maintenance fees. Tickets are available through the Clemens Center box office (open Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) or online at clemenscenter.org. The venue notes that tickets from third-party sources may be more expensive, invalid, or ineligible for assistance. Buy tickets