Janice Martin plays Gershwin at Chillicothe arts center

A great opportunity to enjoy the wonderful music of George and Ira Gershwin is coming right up in a program being presented by the Chillicothe Area Arts Council at 7 p.m., Friday, March 13, at the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center in Chillicothe.

The versatile performer Janice Martin (violin, piano, voice), and her jazz trio will play such great Gershwin tunes as "The Man I Love," "Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," and songs from Porgy and Bess, among many other Gershwin tunes.

"We had Janice here about five years ago," said Dale Whiteside, a member of the Chillicothe Area Arts Council. "People loved her. She’s a great concert violinist, and she’s also a concert pianist, singer and ballet dancer. She’s a little bit of a thing," Whiteside continued, "and it’s just amazing how multi-talented she is. Last time she was here she played several piano concertos. She even owns a Stradivarius!" Whiteside said.

Here’s the story: The year is 1931, the place is Times Square—the heart of the Theater district—and the mob owns Broadway. They’ve already chosen their star, so the auditions for the big Gershwin production are a sham, until in walks Melody Starr (played by Janice Martin). The producers pitch every imaginable curve ball to the curvaceous cutie, who wows them as violinist, soprano, pianist, dancer, actress and more.

Janice Martin stars in this high voltage ride through the works of the Gershwin Brothers including "Rhapsody in Blue" and "I Got Rhythm," where Janice demonstrates her pianistic abilities; "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "American in Paris" where she demonstrates her violin virtuosity; and S’Wonderful and "Embraceable You," where her beautiful soprano voice is displayed prominently—all ably accompanied by a trio of piano, drums and bass.

The Janice Martin Fascinating Gershwin performance is made possible by grants from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Missouri Arts Council. Tickets and are $10 for adults and $5 for students, and will be available at the door.