• Event proceeds to benefit restoration efforts at the historic Ford.

Daniel Lechner and Melissa Lechner Dickey, along with visual artist, Lxi Weber, are scheduled to take the stage of the historic Ford Theatre in downtown Afton to present a unique showing of Broadway music and visual art on Saturday, January 13 at 7 p.m.

Dickey and Lechner, past winners of The Vocalist singing competition, are siblings who were raised in Star Valley. Dickey was the first winner of The Vocalist, and since Lechner won The Vocalist in 2021, the pair have dreamed of doing a show together.  When James Arbizu, with Salt River Arts Society, approached them about doing a fundraising show at the Ford Theatre, their dreams became a reality.

Weber, who was also raised in Star Valley, joined the team when Dickey suggested a visual art element for the evening.  As part of the show, Weber will create an oil painting inspired by the music, as the vocal duo performs, that will then be auctioned off at the conclusion of the program.

“This is new for me, but Melissa had seen this done before and asked if I would be part of it,” shared Weber, in an interview with Duke Dance on the SVI Radio Network’s Weekday Wake-up. “I look forward to doing a live painting!  I will be up on the side of the stage, and I will complete a painting from start to finish during their performance. There will be times when it’s going to look a little crazy, but I think it will be fun for people to see it come together. My hope is that the audience will enjoy watching the process and feel more invested in the final product. Daniel and Melissa are both such excellent vocalists!  I love that they chose to do a Broadway theme, which will make the show very exciting!”

Though the vocal duo has been singing together since they were toddlers, which translates to thousands of hours of music, they have dedicated a significant amount of time to preparation for this concert. “I think we spent six to seven hours each day [last weekend] making the set list, listening to tracks, practicing and practicing, and singing together. It’s pretty fun to have a chance to just feature all of those songs we have sung together growing up.  It feels natural and flawless when we blend our voices,” shared Dickey.

With a Broadway theme for the show, the duo has selected pieces of varying styles that range from operatic to child-like, and everything in between.

“We have about 75 minutes of music ready, and it took a long time to pare that down,” Lechner told Dance. “We started with about a three and a half hour show and had to go through very meticulously and take out different songs, which was really a sad process. We could probably put on a six or seven hour show if we wanted to.”  Dickey says she is “still mourning the cut songs.”

100 percent of the proceeds from Weber’s painting and a portion of the overall ticket sales is going directly to the Ford Theatre to help with building restoration.  Dickey is passionate about supporting these types of projects with her talent. “This feels miraculous to me. I feel that spaces like the Ford bring communities together. When there’s a piece of history in the middle of the community that is brought back to life and used for a new purpose, especially in the arts, it brings friends and families together. It brings people together and I think it’s so important.  We want to get that Ford as functional and user-friendly as we can. I am beyond excited to share this night of visual and performing art with our friends and family of the Valley in support of the Ford Theatre. We will have a memorable night together!”

Tickets are available at saltriverarts.com or at the door.