Chandor Gardens Foundation News

Chandor Gardens Foundation was thrilled to host "piano sensation" Danny Wright in concert Saturday May 10, 2025 at 7:00 P.M in the Great Room of Chandor Gardens, Weatherford, TX. Concert tickets included complimentary pre-concert wine and lite hors d’oeuvres from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM.

For this concert Danny Wright showcased songs from his latest album,” From Stage to Screen”, which is a collection of 13 songs from beloved movie and Broadway songs, The album, which was released on February 1st, 2025, showcases Wright's signature style of blending classical and contemporary elements to create a mesmerizing listening experience. This new album includes renditions of iconic songs from popular movies such as "The Sound of Music," "Born Free" and "The Muppet Movie " as well as Broadway favorites including an Andrew Lloyd Weber medley, "Corner Of The Sky" from Pippin and "Try To Remember" from the Fantasticks. Wright also performed music from his many previous albums and performed several of his original compostions.

Trained as a classical pianist, Wright composes and performs original compositions that are blended with various influences including contemporary jazz, classical and neo-classical.

Danny Wright

Danny Wright is a pianist from Fort Worth, TX who has sold over 15 million albums since his debut in 1986. Wright has released more than 55 Piano Music Albums. He has been named twice by Billboard magazine as a Top 10 artist in the New-age music genre, with three of his albums in Billboard’s Top 10 New Age Albums for three consecutive years. Over the years, Wright’s repertoire has also encompassed other genres. Danny Wright has performed all over the world, including The Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary, Canada, The Liberace Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, The Parliament of Religions in Salt Lake City, Utah, and The Smith Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. At The Smith Center, Danny headlined the Jazz Cabaret Room for many years, and performed a concert in their largest auditorium with Ventriloquist Terry Fator.

Danny Wright's piano destiny began at age four. He studied under the respected professor, Dr. Harris Cavender. Since that time, Danny's life has consisted of his love of music, the piano and his desire to share his gift with others. His warm, outgoing personality combined with extraordinary musical talent has enabled him to touch millions of listeners through his recordings and concerts.

 "Afternoon Tea with Douglas" & Bronze Bust Dedication was held on Saturday, October 5, 2024 between 3 pm and 5 pm at Chandor Gardens  celebrating the newly installed bronze portrait bust of Douglas Chandor.

Douglas Chandor, being from England, followed the British custom of "Afternoon Tea" (tea and a light snack) around 4:00 pm. We are sure Douglas would have been delighted to know that we carried on this tradition (with a Texas twist of ice tea instead of hot tea) for this special celebration of the bronze bust in his likeness.

Bronze bust dedication ceremony was at 4:30 pm and recognized all those who made this bronze possible, and to remember Douglas Granville Chandor (Aug 20, 1897 - Jan. 13, 1953), the internationally acclaimed portrait artist, gardener, and Weatherford's first "Citizen of the Year" in 1953.

Prior to the dedication ceremony guests were able to:

• View the bronze portrait bust of Douglas Chandor in the garden.
• Stroll through the gardens.
• Tour the Chandor house at one’s leisure. Docents were available to answer questions.
• Pause in the Great Room of the house and listen to beautiful music being played on the Steinway piano.
• Enjoy complimentary "Afternoon Tea" refreshments (ice tea and light bites)
• Try throwing English Lawn Bowls down the Bowling Green 

This was a FREE event (no admission fee).

Everyone was welcome!

Chandor Gardens Foundation invites you to the next Wine & Music series concert, “Celebrating the American Songbook”, on Saturday, September 28, 2024 in the Great Room at Chandor Gardens. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the performance will start at 7:00 PM.

The artists for this concert are; Sandra Kaye (vocals), Fredrick Sanders (piano), Lynn Seaton (bass) and Duane Durrett (drums).

The American Songbook genre is made up of popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century. The songs published during the Golden Age of this genre include popular and enduring tunes from the 1920s to the 1950s, and includes standards by Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Richard Rodgers, and Oscar Hammerstein II, among others. The following singers are widely recognized for their performances and recordings which defined the Songbook genre; Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Al Jolson, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Margaret Whiting, and Andy Williams.

Tickets are limited for this intimate concert experience so act fast!

Tickets $50

Wine/Beer/Soft Drinks/Bottled water included in ticket price.

Performer Bios:

Sandra Kaye, honed her class act in a little Dallas bar. A mixture of nostalgia and myth, the notion of a great undiscovered performer in a dark little hideaway. The formative years of Sandra’s career were spent in her hometown of Dallas Texas. The night club scene was a mainstay in Dallas for Sandra Kaye and she played the Hideaway Clubs for 8 years consecutively. Sandra Kaye has moved in many musical directions with her style from Jazz to R&B, with jingles for radio and television. Today Sandra performs with several big bands primarily in the United States and Asia and was the opening act for Dionne Warwick, Patti Austin, The Platters, The Drifters, David “Fathead” Newman, Monty Alexander, Blue Lou Marini and Johnny Taylor. Iconic Performances include: The Beaux Art Ball, Duke Ellington Birthday Celebration, The National Anthem performance for The Texas Rangers, The Shelley Carrol/Brad LealI Big Band, The Curtis Bradshaw First Reunion Orchestra, The Dallas Jazz Orchestra, The Galen Jeter Orchestra, The Alan Glasscock Orchestra, The Vecho Vecencio Group, The JZ’s Big Band under the directions of Nicholas Bolucas, The JZ’s Big Band under the direction of Alec Haavik, The Rolf Becker Music Company and The Shanghai Conservatory Big Band. Sandra Kaye has performed throughout the United States and Internationally in Japan, China, Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Turkey and West Africa. Sandra Kaye is a former resident vocalist at The Waldorf Astoria Shanghai in the famous Long Bar from April 2011 to April 2016. The only place in Shanghai to hear a fine repertoire of songs from the Great American Song Book such as “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”, “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “My Funny Valentine.”

Fredrick Sanders, a virtuoso pianist, seamlessly merges classical and jazz, enchanting audiences from dignitaries to schoolchildren. Mentored by jazz icon Alvin Batiste and pianist Frank White, Sanders gained recognition at the De Oosterport Groninga New Music Festival and was featured on Batiste's "Late" CD. His excellence continued with collaborations with Erykah Badu, Frank Foster, and Roy Hargrove. Debuting with "East of Vilbig" (1997), Sanders received acclaim, reuniting with Roy Hargrove and working with Wynton Marsalis, Nora Jones, and Doctor John. "Soul Trinity vol.1" (2003) showcased his talent alongside Rodney Whitaker and Troy Davis at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Sanders, also an academic standout, assumed the Director of Jazz Studies and Music Technology role at Weatherford College in 2020, where he pioneered Spirio technology on Steinway & Sons grand pianos, highlighting his prowess in performance and music technology.

Lynn Seaton, born on July 18, 1957, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, began his musical journey at a young age. He started with classical guitar at age seven but soon switched to string bass at age nine. While studying music at the University of Oklahoma, he began performing in clubs across the state. In 1980, Lynn moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he joined the Steve Schmidt Trio and the Blue Wisp Big Band. The following year, he received a Jazz Studies Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts to study with Rufus Reid. Lynn has held faculty positions at several prestigious institutions, including the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Long Island University, SUNY New Paltz, and William Paterson College. He is currently a full professor at the University of North Texas. He enjoys teaching workshops, coaching ensembles, and participating in artist-in-residence programs across America and Europe. He has also been involved with Jamey Aebersold’s and UNT jazz camps and Clark Terry’s Institute of Jazz Studies. In 1984, Lynn joined Woody Herman and the Young Thundering Herd and began performing with the Count Basie Orchestra. He moved to New York City in 1986 and toured extensively with Tony Bennett and George Shearing after his tenure with the Basie Band. His career includes tours with Monty Alexander, freelancing in New York, and performing with the Jeff Hamilton Trio. Lynn has graced numerous international festivals and currently freelances and tours as a performer and clinician. Lynn has collaborated with many notable musicians, including Toshiko Akiyoshi, Ernestine Anderson, Al Cohn, Kenny Drew Jr., Blossom Dearie, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Herb Ellis, Frank Foster, Jeff Hamilton, Scott Hamilton, Thad Jones, Marian McPartland, Mel Torme, Nancy Wilson, and more.