Sunday concert series to feature 'When Pop Steals from the Classics' May 1

What do Celine Dion and Rachmaninoff have in common? What about Elvis and Bach? Or Billy Joel and Beethoven?

Classical music has been inspiring pop music for decades through its melodies and chord progressions.

St. Charles Public Library's Sunday concert series continues in April with "'Not' All By Myself: When Pop Steals from the Classics."

It will be 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1, in the library's Carnegie Community Room, 1 S. Sixth Ave.

This new collaboration from singer AnDrea James and pianist Valerie Heinkel-Bollero explores the connection between the classics and some of our greatest pop songs.

James completed her master's degree in Vocal Performance at Northern Illinois University, where she received the Outstanding Graduate Student award (2014-15) and was a winner of the NIU Philharmonic Concerto Competition (2015). Over the past 10 years, she has held many different teaching, accompanying, conducting and directing positions at churches and schools.

Valerie Heinkel-Bollero graduated from Northern Illinois University with a master's in music composition and theory, with an emphasis in vocal music and piano accompanying. Postgraduate work brought her to the public-school forum, where she is a National Board-Certified teacher of choral and general music.

Both James and Heinkel-Bollero are members of the St. Charles Singers.

Since 1981, the library has featured a wide variety of musical performances. The public is invited, and the concerts are free to attend. The St. Charles Public Library is located at One South Sixth Avenue in St. Charles. For more information, visit www.scpld.org or call (630) 584-0076.