Bob Gaudio & Frankie Valli (@frankievalli) to Attend Dedication of Bob Crewe Program in Art & Music at Maine College of Art on Saturday!
September 30th, 2015Ray Routhier of the Portland Press Herald reports that Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio are scheduled to be in Portland, Maine on Saturday to help honor the memory of a man who was instrumental in their careers, the late Bob Crewe, who passed away last year at the age of 83. Valli and Gaudio will attend the dedication of the new Bob Crewe Program in Art and Music at Maine College of Art on Congress Street, said Raffi Der Simonian, director of marketing and communications for the college.
Crewe, a New Jersey native, moved to Maine later in his life. His brother, Dan Crewe, came to Maine in 1991 and was a co-founder of the Gateway Mastering Studio in Portland. The studio works on recordings by many of pop music’s biggest acts.
The new MECA program and facility being dedicated Saturday is funded by a $3 million gift, given to MECA by the Bob Crewe Foundation in April 2014. When the grant was announced in 2014, Dan Crewe said the idea of starting a music program at an art school came about, at least partly, because his brother had started out as an artist before going into a career in music. Dan Crewe also said his brother, thankful for his own success, wanted to do what he could to support budding artists and musicians.
The program named for Crewe includes three classes this fall as well as 25,000 square feet of renovated space at the college’s main building on Congress Street. The renovated space will house studios, recording equipment, performance spaces and classrooms. The renovated space at MECA also includes the Bob Crewe Gallery, featuring some of his artwork. Valli, 81, was the lead singer of The Four Seasons and had solo hits as well. He still performs regularly and tours, and did a concert in Bangor last fall. Gaudio, 72, was a member of The Four Seasons who co-wrote many songs with Crewe.
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