The Boch Center Celebrates the Release of Louie Phipps Debut Album with Digital Concert
There were no lights, no amps, and no audience, just Louie on stage making music.
The Boch Center will shine a light on Northampton's own Louie Phipps, a nine-year-old ukulele player who just put out his debut album. At the invitation from Boch Center CEO Joe Spaulding, Phipps recently recorded a handful of songs on the Wang Theatre stage. There were no lights, no amps, and no audience, just Louie on stage making music. Now, a video of Louie Phipps: Live on the Wang Theatre Stage will be available online Thursday, April 1, 2021 on the Boch Center's Facebook and YouTube channels as well as BochCenter.org.
"Man, the acoustics were awesome," said Louie Phipps. "If you were to rap your fist on a hollow tree and hear the sound echoing back, and be able to enlarge that tree, then step into it and play music, I think that's what the Wang Theatre is like!"
"What a gift to hear Louie's lyrics and chords fill that massive, beautiful space," said Annie Salsich, Louie's mother. "It was a day to remember, always."
Louie recently recorded his first album, "Louie Phipps & Friends: We Are Together," with the help of 18 professional musicians including radio host Chris Thile, a four-time Grammy winner and 22-time Grammy nominee; Grammy-winner Chris Eldridge; musician and Grammy-nominated producer Anand Nayak. All 18 tracks are available now on bandcamp. Spaulding learned about Louie's dream of becoming a professional musician through a recent NPR segment.
"Here is this young man who is taking it very seriously and we just wanted to give him a chance to do something special,'" said Spaulding. "We were all incredibly impressed by his professionalism and his talent at such a young age."
Louie Phipps: Live on the Wang Theatre Stage will be available online Thursday, April 1, 2021 on the Boch Center's Facebook and YouTube channels as well as BochCenter.org.
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