Cello and Piano with Dace Gregory & Rachel Palen; Swingin’ in the Rain Big Band

Dace Gregory & Rachel Palen and the Swingin’ in the Rain Big Band brought audiences to their feet with the performances at the Hales Center on Thursday. Dace Gregory’s cello and Rachel Palen’s on piano accompaniment were indeed “Musical Moments of Wonder” that included an arrangement of themes from Bizet’s Carmen and Tango Tzigane by Gade. Following intermission, the Big Band, directed by Steve Simpkins provided an enthusiastic treatment of some of the great Big Band classics. They featured several members as soloists, including Wilbur Jensen on trumpet.