Photos and Review by Rebecca Clark
Josh Groban brought a little bit of everything to the CMAC stage Tuesday night, mixing opera-inspired songs, Broadway favorites, Hollywood movie classics, Disney songs and music from his own career with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra to create a diverse and beautifully arranged evening of music. Groban also shared stories and humor along the way.
Groban opened the show with “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, immediately setting the tone for what was to come. This wasn’t going to be a set built around one album. It was more like a musical trip through the songs and stories that have followed Groban throughout his career.
Early in the night, Groban took a moment to talk about the importance of protecting the arts in schools, something that clearly means a lot to him. He spoke about how important the arts can be for kids as they figure out who they are, which felt especially fitting coming from someone whose own love of musical theater started when he was young.
That love of theater was all over the first half of the show.
Groban brought out young vocalist Samia Posadas, whom he had discovered through a The Jimmy Awards, which is a program he supports, and the two performed together. Before singing “All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera, Groban talked about his own childhood obsession with the musical.
“I grew up in the 80s, I could be your grandfather,” He said joking to Posadas. “And I grew up wanting to be in the Phantom of the Opera.”
He went on to tell the story of making his own Phantom mask in art class while the other kids were doing their own thing. “It was dorky as hell,” he admitted. “But the music is amazing.”
His interaction with Posadas was one of the sweeter moments of the night. Groban praised her voice, telling her, “Your voice is so beautiful. It’s like a bell. It’s just so clear,” before learning that she was headed to USC to study musical theater.
“I feel so privileged that we get to share this moment with you before you go off and do literally anything you want to do,” he told her. “It’s gonna be a very bright future for you.”
The show continued with Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now),” with a choir joining him onstage, before Groban talked about another part of his career that has always been connected to the stage and screen: Disney.
Groban shared the story behind “Evermore” from Beauty and the Beast, explaining that he was asked to sing the song for the live-action film and later got to play the Beast in a televised production. The costume, apparently, was quite an experience.
He described wearing a roughly 50-pound exoskeleton puppet and joked that he asked Disney if he could take it home. They wouldn’t let him. “It lives forever on YouTube,” he said.
By the end of the first set, it genuinely felt like CMAC had turned into a small Broadway theater for the evening. Groban even joked about the unusual setup of the show during the intermission. “I get to be my own opening act which is so fun,” he told the audience.
When he returned for the second set, he had changed into a dashing white suit and opened with “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca, followed by “Remember Me” from Pixar’s Coco.
Before “Remember Me,” Groban talked about his appreciation for songs that aren’t afraid to deal with difficult subjects, especially when those songs can still leave people with a sense of hope.
“I love sad songs, and I love sad songs that have a hopeful message as well,” he said. That led into another beautiful part of the evening when Groban introduced violinist Lucia Micarelli, a longtime friend and collaborator. Micarelli performed a violin solo before joining Groban onstage for “Cinema Paradiso.”
The combination of her violin, Groban’s voice and the Rochester Philharmonic was one of those moments where the setting really worked. A song already rooted in film suddenly felt even more cinematic with the full orchestra behind it.
Groban and Micarelli then performed “Falling Slowly” as a tribute to Glenn Hansard. Groban explained that the song wasn’t originally planned for the show, but they wanted to include it after the loss of a friend. He called it “truly one of the great movie songs ever, ever written.”
That performance was probably the most emotional moment of the night. Micarelli not only played violin but also sang, and the arrangement gave the song plenty of room to breathe. It didn’t feel like a tribute added simply because it was expected. There was real feeling behind it.
Groban then turned to the music of Stephen Sondheim, talking about the songwriter’s ability to take unusual stories and somehow find a way to connect them back to the people watching them.
He joked about trying to pitch Sweeney Todd to someone in an elevator, a barber who kills people and a neighbor who bakes them into pies, before explaining what he admired about Sondheim’s work. “He found an arc, and every story, every musical that he wrote, he found a way to connect us to who we are,” Groban said.
That led into “Send in the Clowns,” another song that allowed the orchestra to take center stage alongside Groban’s voice.
The mood shifted again when the choir returned for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King. Groban took some time to talk with the audience about CMAC and the way music brings people together, even sharing a story about two people who met at one of his concerts and ended up together.
He also asked how many people were there for a date night. For an artist who has spent so much of his career singing about love, connection and longing, it was a pretty fitting question.
Groban thanked the Rochester Philharmonic and the musicians who had joined him throughout the evening before moving into the final song.
He ended the night with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” with a rainbow-colored backdrop filling the stage behind him.
One thing I noticed throughout the show was how often Groban would turn toward the Rochester Philharmonic before beginning a song. He would stand there for a moment, almost taking in the orchestra before turning back to the audience. It was a small thing, but it made it clear how much the musicians were part of the performance rather than simply accompanying him.
And that’s really what made the night work. Groban has the kind of voice that can easily dominate a stage, but Tuesday’s show wasn’t built around him alone. The orchestra, choir and special guests all had their moments, and Groban seemed genuinely happy to share the stage with them.
There was Broadway. There were classic films. There was Disney. There were songs from his own career, a tribute to Glenn Hansard, stories about the people who influenced him and plenty of Groban’s goofy sense of humor mixed in.
It was a little bit of everything. And for one night, CMAC got a taste of Broadway without having to leave Canandaigua.
Josh Groban Photo Gallery
