By Don Church and Tony Schillaci, Critics On The Aisle

(Photos Courtesy Maureen McGovern; The Kate photo by Don Church and Tony Schillaci) It's always a thrill to see a singer/actor who has the exceptional talent and stage craft to grab an audience and hold it enthralled throughout a performance. Add to that – beauty, warmth and wit and you have the dazzling Maureen McGovern who will be at The Kate (Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center) in Old Saybrook, Connecticut for one night only at 7:30 PM, Thursday, October 18th.

This year Maureen is celebrating the 45th anniversary of her Oscar-winning, Billboard #1, International Gold record "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure. It garnered her first Grammy Nomination for "Best New Artist." Maureen said: "I had been singing 'The Morning After' for a long time and had my 'aha!' moment on one of my MDA Telethon appearances. My niece had been diagnosed with one of the muscle diseases that are related to MD. When I sang 'The Morning After' that night, its message of hope hit me personally in my heart of hearts, and I could barely get through it." Maureen's other hits include "Can You Read My Mind" from Superman, the Oscar-winning "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno and "Different Worlds" from the TV series Angie. In addition to hearing her music in films and television, McGovern played the role of "Sister Angelina" in the iconic comedy films Airplane! and Airplane II: The Sequel, and also played "Rachel" in Joseph: King of Dreams with Ben Affleck.

Maureen, a fine actor, also conquered Broadway in 1981 starring as "Mabel" in The Pirates of Penzance, as "Luisa" in Nine and "Polly Peachum" in The Three Penny Opera with Sting. In 2005 she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her role as "Marmee" in Little Women, The Musical on Broadway. She reprised her role as "Marmee" in the 1st national tour of Little Women and starred as "Anna" in the Broadway Revival Tour of The King and I. Maureen has performed in numerous regional theater productions including The Lion in Winter, Dear World, Of Thee I Sing, Guys and Dolls and her one-woman musical memoir, Carry It On, among others. For 35 years Maureen has served the Muscular Dystrophy Association as a volunteer, performer, Board Member, Vice President, and Chairperson of the record-breaking Shamrocks Against Dystrophy Campaign. She was the NYC Telethon Co-Host for 6 years. A supporter of Music Therapy, she has been an Artist Spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association since 2001. She is currently a Board Member of Medicine and the Arts/Humanism in Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Her recent PS Classics CD, A Long And Winding Road, has been praised by The New York Times as "...a captivating musical scrapbook from the 1960's to the early 70's. Ms. McGovern's vocal technique is second to none."

Maureen's current release, You Raise Me Up – A Spiritual Journey, is an intimate yet powerful recording. McGovern says "We are all a part of something much greater than ourselves and connected to each other soul to soul. Listen with your heart."

To these prestigious credits she also has guest starred with all the major symphony orchestras, including the 75th Anniversary Season at Tanglewood with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops, and in yearly concerts, cabaret and jazz clubs. It has earned her the well-deserved nickname, "The Stradivarius Voice." In concerts, she frequently vocalizes the instrumental riffs. That, and when she sings acapella, is always an evening of exciting showstopping moments for music lovers.