We regret that this holiday concert has been cancelled. We are working with the artist to reschedule.
Abigail Rockwell
Sunday, December 17, at 7 pm
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Cape May Stage presents sultry singer Abigail Rockwell in “A Norman Rockwell – Bedford Falls Christmas” on Sunday, December 17th, as part of our 2023 Broadway Concert Series.
Abigail Rockwell is an American jazz singer/songwriter — her most recent album Autumn Noir was in consideration for the 2020 Grammy Awards. She had her successful, sold-out Birdland Jazz Club debut in 2019. She also edited the Definitive Edition of her grandfather Norman Rockwell’s classic 1960 Autobiography My Adventures As An Illustrator, published by Abbeville Press in May 2019. She is one of the foremost Rockwell scholars and is a frequent guest speaker at museums around the country.
Joining forces with Wyndham Hill artist, renowned guitarist Sean Harkness — Rockwell and Harkness bring “A Norman Rockwell — Bedford Falls Christmas” for an exclusive holiday concert at Cape May Stage this December! Book signing after the show.
For the first time, Abigail Rockwell will share the magic and intimate recollections of her grandfather Norman Rockwell’s home at Christmas with original music and holiday classics. Her upcoming album, “A Rockwell Christmas”, will be released Christmas 2024.
Concert Time: 60-70 minutes, no intermission
Location: The Robert Shackleton Playhouse
“Although many vocalists have included torch singing in their repertoire, few have made it a specialty as has Abigail Rockwell. With her breathy, smoky voice and sultry demeanor, she is most reminiscent of Julie London. What Rockwell brings to this table of torch is poetry.” — MARILYN LESTER, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA
Abigail Rockwell — AR — grew up singing and writing from an early age. She studied with Clara Burling Roesch, internationally known orchestra conductor, choral director and voice teacher, in New York City in her teenage years. She later trained at the Conservatory of Theater Arts & Film at Purchase, NY.
After working at the Pioneer Square Theater in Seattle, Washington, Rockwell moved to Los Angeles where she focused mainly on voiceovers including national campaigns for Mercury Sable, Harrah’s Casino, and numerous series for PBS. After meeting renowned west coast vocal coach Gary Catona, she embarked on training and building her voice anew.
This led to her first album of standards, Union Station, which she co-produced with pianist/arranger Bill Brendle in Los Angeles. Brendle has worked with such legends as Sergio Mendes, Lamont Dosier, and Erykah Badu. The album was mixed by the Grammy Award-winning engineer, Mauricio Guerrero, and mastered at Capitol Records by Ron McMaster.
AR performed her first series of jazz performances at the Four Seasons Resort • The Biltmore in Montecito, CA. Her first performance in Los Angeles was at Tar Pit, a premier bar/restaurant, which Top Chef Mark Peel had recently opened.
She unexpectedly moved to the east coast shortly after the passing of her mother. AR then joined her father, Thomas Rockwell, to administer the Norman Rockwell Family Agency. She was instrumental in fighting the fraudulent 2013 biography of her grandfather, the Artist and Illustrator Norman Rockwell, writing front page articles for the Huffington Post and the Saturday Evening Post.
After years of investigating her grandfather’s life in the wake of that biography, Abigail Rockwell is now one of the few legitimate Rockwell scholars in the world, along with her father, and recognized as such by Sotheby’s and the National Museum of American Illustration in Rhode Island.
AR performed for the first time in NYC at the celebrated Metropolitan Room and then worked with notable NYC guitarist, Sean Harkness, as the duo Rock & Hark — they performed at Cape May Stage in New Jersey, and Rockwood Music Hall and Pangea in NYC. She then went on to present her show, Autumn Noir : Echoes of Jazz at Pangea with Grammy Award nominated pianist/arranger Gary Versace. The performance, which received rave reviews from Bistro Awards and Cabaret Scenes, led to an album, Autumn Noir, a fresh mix of originals and standards, which was released on 10.10.2018. The album continues to receive glowing notices and recognition, along with international radio play.
Abigail Rockwell recently edited the Definitive Edition of Norman Rockwell’s classic 1960 Autobiography My Adventures as an Illustrator, writing an 11 page introduction with new information on her grandfather’s life and work — she also curated 170+ illustrations to accompany the text — published by Abbeville Press in May 2019.
“The magic of Michel Legrand is that anyone can sing him, but Rockwell SINGS him with such a cut above distinction and vision that she grabs you right out of the box. A mature vocal date with a load of originals that finds her having the nads to write lyrics to a Piazzolla classic, this is one gal you have to admire. Wonderfully out of the ordinary due solely to her interpretive skills and style, this is the high water mark for all vocalists to come to follow. Killer stuff throughout.”
— CHRIS SPECTOR, MIDWEST REPORTER, USA
“Abigail Rockwell’s ‘Autumn Noir’ recording project is a fine example of love and respect for the great tradition of vocal jazz, bringing back to life the best performers of the past through its elegance and refinement, never separated from excellent vocal technique. The accompaniment of the band members, all of great professionalism, makes this record a precious little jewel.”
— BRUNO POLLACCI ANIMAJAZZ / PUNTO RADIO 91.6 FM | PISA, ITALY
““Her voice sways and dips as it guides us through the story in each song. Abigail’s debut is a beautiful slow loving burn for one’s ears…”
– Stephen Holden, The New York Times
“Here’s a performer who’s focused, confident and bold…she’s powerful and polished. Some who are polished do shine. She’s one.”
— TIEN – JAZZ ZONE RADIO REGENT | TORONTO, CANADA
