As a courtesy to the artists and for the uninterrupted enjoyment of your fellow patrons, please turn off all electronic devices. No portion of this performance may be photographed, recorded, filmed, taped, broadcast or mechanically reproduced without the written consent of the Artist and/or the Presenter. Mayo Performing Arts Center is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Program subject to change.
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
ELLIOT LAZAR
Paul Simon ISRAEL BLOODGOOD
Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel
Keyboards, Guitar and Background vocals MARC ENCABO
Guitars and background vocals
Drums and background vocals
Bass guitar and background vocals
VASQUEZ
HARRINGTON
The Simon & Garfunkel Story chronicles the amazing journey shared by the folk-rock duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel . It tells the story from their humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry to their incredible success as one of the best- selling music groups of the ‘60s to their dramatic split in 1970 . It culminates with the famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981 with more than half a million fans in attendance
Using state of the art video projection, photos and original film footage, the show also features a full live band performing all of their hits, including “Mrs . Robinson” (featured in the 1967 film The Graduate), “Cecilia,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound” and many more
With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel’s perfect harmonies and songs that poignantly captured the times made them one of the most successful folkrock duos of all time . Over the years, they won 10 Grammy® Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 In 1977, their Bridge Over Troubled Water album was nominated at the 1977 Brit Awards for Best International Album . In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award and the following year saw their “The Sound of Silence” awarded a Grammy® Hall of Fame Award
JONAH BOBO (Paul Simon) is an NYC based musician and theatre artist who is extremely passionate about both live performance and studio production . He is a multi-instrumentalist and producer as well as a recording artist, working with artists in New York and across the nation . He has released three solo albums, and is currently releasing original music with co-star Brendan Smith (Art Garfunkel at select performances) as Bobo & Smith . As a composer his theatrical work has been awarded distinctions by the Richard Rodgers Award Foundation and the Eugene O’Neill National Theatre Center .
ELLIOT LAZAR (Paul Simon) Elliot Lazar is a Boston-based actor, singer and musician born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada He recently starred as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys with Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre Company and appeared as Motel Kamzoil in the First National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof, directed by Bartlett Sher . Other credits include both the Boston and Canadian regional premieres of The Band’s Visit (Huntington, WJT), creating the role of Tobias Tweeney in Another Roll of the Dice (North Coast Repertory Theatre), and playing Mark Cohen in Rent (Rainbow Stage) Elliot holds a B .Mus from the University of Manitoba and an M .F.A . from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee He is on faculty at Walnut Hill School of the Arts and maintains a small private voice studio .
BLOODGOOD (Paul Simon)
Born and raised in Oregon, Israel Bloodgood has worked as an actor, dancer, musician, songwriter, and teacher all over the world . After growing up in the theater and earning
his Bachelor’s Degree at Eastern Oregon University, Israel performed around the Pacific Northwest with The Seattle Shakespeare Co , Bag & Baggage Productions, and the La Grande Shakespeare Co Eventually Israel moved to England to earn his Master’s degree at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, working with The London Touring Players, Bristol International Theatre Workshop, and the European/Australian tour of The Simon & Garfunkel Story and is now moving back to the US with his wife and two children, to join the American Cast of the show
JACOB SMITH (Art Garfunkel) is a singer, actor and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York . He made his national television debut with viral sensation acapella group T.3 on season 16 of America’s Got Talent in 2021 . The group has racked up millions of views across their social media platforms and tour regularly throughout the U S On stage, Brendan’s recent credits include Fredrick Fleet in Titanic (Ogunquit Playhouse), Malcolm in The Full Monty (North Shore Music Theatre), and Frankie Epps in Parade (The Rev Theatre Co .) . He also performed the role of Logan Shepard in the powerful work Considering Matthew Shepard with Grammy-winning ensemble, Conspirare .
As a songwriter, he performs regularly with his pianist brother, Damon Smith, in New York City; the duo released an album of original songs as “The Brightmares .” Additionally, he and his longtime friend Jonah Bobo (Paul Simon at select performances) collaborate on and release original music as “Bobo and Smith .”
Having grown up harmonizing to Simon & Garfunkel, Brendan is thrilled to be singing these beautiful songs every night .
(Art Garfunkel) As a singersongwriter, Trevor’s lilting finger-style guitar, ethereal vocals, and poetic verse echo through their indie-folk sound . A recent graduate with a Bachelor of Music from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, Trevor plans on releasing their much anticipated debut to streaming services in early 2026 Huge thank yous to their family, friends, MSA, and their wonderful partner, Mia .
MARC ENCABO (Keyboards and Background Vocals) is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist and performer Being heavily surrounded by music throughout his upbringing in San Diego, CA, he would find his musical voice through school, YouTube, and church, leading to teaching himself to play guitar, piano, and bass, and to furthering his studies as a jazz bassist at the renowned Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach As a songwriter, composer, and collaborator, he has arranged for, performed, and recorded with and for various artists and groups across the US, UK, Europe, and the Philippines .
JAY HEMPHILL is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and audio engineer from Long Beach, California . Starting on the cello at age 7, he quickly developed a passion for every instrument he could get his hands on . He switched to bass in high school and got his first taste of being a professional musician when he started playing jazz and musicals . From there, he has
had the opportunity to tour across America with many brilliant musicians, as well as play in multiple musicals, including the world premiere of The Boy who Danced on Air, and perform with his own project, Discount Art .
JOSHUA VASQUEZ (Guitars and background vocals) is a guitarist from San Diego, CA . At the age of 12, he was inspired by classmates at the time to pick up the guitar and eventually decided to pursue it as a career His pursuit brought him first to the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, and upon graduation began attending Berklee College of Music in the fall of 2013 . At Berklee, he studied with some of the most renowned teachers in contemporary guitar education . Teachers such as Rick Peckham, Tim Miller, Mike Williams(once a teacher to John Mayer), and Mick Goodrick . Since graduating from Berklee in 2017, Josh has been working as a freelance player and session guitarist in the Southern California area . Doing everything from recording for up-and-coming artists and video games to being in music videos and playing for the theater . His accolades include improvisation awards from several jazz festivals and being a semi-finalist in Guitar Center’s King of the Blues competition in 2011 .
HARRINGTON (Drums and Background Vocals) From Ann Arbor, Michigan, Billy Harrington is a full-time drummer keeping busy with recording sessions and live work . With a bachelors in the Musical Arts & Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan, he has lectured on early pop
drumming and most extensively on the drumming of Ringo Starr, including for the university’s symposium celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sgt . Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and as a featured artist in the Oxford University Press textbook, “What Goes On : The Beatles, Their Music and Their Time .” As producer, his own shows, “A Night For James: A Tribute to the Music of James Taylor,” and Lennon & McCartney tribute “All Together Now” debuted in 2015 and 2016 In 2019, Billy’s research on the drums of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham with Paul Thompson of Roxy Music was published in Modern Drummer magazine . Recent stage credits include “Always… Patsy Cline” and Mamma Mia (Encore Musical Theatre Company 2021-22), and national tours, The British Invasion Live (Quatro & Maple Tree Entertainment 2022) and Dirty Dancing In Concert (Quatro Entertainment 2022) .
Billy is so excited and honored to be on stage celebrating two of pop music’s greatest songwriters, Simon & Garfunkel .
(Producers) Ruckus Entertainment, based in Los Angeles and formed in 2022, brings together veteran entertainment producers Alison Spiriti, Justin Sudds, Dean Elliott and Ralph Schmidtke who are collectively responsible for producing over 100 touring productions seen by millions around the world.
Their burgeoning production company brings audiences world-class concerts and live events and is focused on celebrating the history and music behind iconic, globally recognized musical artists. Current productions include The Simon & Garfunkel Story, The Life and Music of George Michael and The British Invasion.
DEAN ELLIOTT (Show Director, Musical Supervisor) Dean Elliott rose to fame as the lead role of Buddy Holly in the Olivier Award nominated musical Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story. In this role he had the honour of opening the 2008 West End Revival at the Duchess Theatre, London, West End and after much media praise was asked to open and perform in the show in Buddy’s hometown of Lubbock, Texas, in front, and with, Buddy’s immediate family before taking the role around Europe and Canada . Before ‘Buddy’, Dean trained at the prestigious Sir Paul McCartney’s ‘Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts’ (LIPA) and other notable theatre work includes Over The Rainbow - The Eva Cassidy Story (UK No1 Tour), Release The Beat (Arcola Theatre, London) and the multi award winning Ed - The Musical (Edinburgh Festival) Notable TV and radio appearances include “Richard and Judy,” “BBC London Tonight,” “The Jonathan Ross Show” and BBC Radio 2’s “Elaine Paige Show ” Dean has always been a fan of Simon and Garfunkel and is thrilled to be able to bring the music and story together with this fantastic team and tour it around the world!