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Concert on the Lake featuring vocalist Simone Gundy and pianist James O'Neal. Program includes 2 sets from Simone's new show called James and Simone "In Rhythm and Love".The concert will be held at the lake house of Art and Shelley Gottschalk, at 4026 Windswept Drive in Montgomery, TX (Walden on Lake Conroe). The location, with its spectacular acoustics and the stunning backdrop of a 3-story semi cylindrical window overlooking Lake Conroe, is an approximate one-hour drive from Houston. With plenty of food and plenty of drinks, and a chance to mingle and meet the artist, we will start at 12:30 PM dockside, so plan to show up well ahead of the performance.
Simone Gundy is a Fort Worth native who has lived in Houston for the last fourteen years, and was a top finalist on Season 11 and 12 of NBC’s “The Voice,” on Adam Levine’s team. She has starred in lead roles in Houston’s Theater Under the Stars productions of “Sister Act,” “Rent,” “Memphis,” and most recently “Little Shop of Horrors,” among other credits. Her career has included many types of performance contexts, from stage to reality television screen. “I get to do music full-time,” Gundy said. “For the past sixteen years, I have not had a regular job, and that is truly a success to me. I never wanted to have cameras in my face. The only thing I ever asked for was to be able to provide for my family, live comfortably, and do what I love.”
Simone is raising four children alongside her husband, James O’Neal, who is also an accomplished pianist and singer-songwriter. Her oldest son is in high school and wants to one day play in the National Football League. “I am beyond filled with joy,” she says, “because I would like to think that I instilled that in him, to let him know that it isn’t a mainstream career, but you can do it. Maybe not everybody makes it to the NFL, or on ‘The Voice,’ but I did it and he can do it too.”
Though her time on “The Voice” was “a great experience,” Gundy said she wished she had shown more of her personality on camera. She said the video clips depicted her as shy and quiet, which she doesn’t believe is who she truly is. Pursuing her passion full-time, Gundy says musical theatre is where she truly thrives, and her dream is to be on Broadway. Most recently, she headlined “The Voice of Brubeck: Themes and Explorations” concert in March, performing with the University of Houston Symphony Orchestra, a choir from the Moores School of Music, The Paul English Jazz Quartet, and internationally famous soloists Horace Alexander Young and Chris Brubeck, Dave Brubeck’s son. The record album of that material is to be released shortly on the Navona label.
She describes her younger self as an annoying little kid that used to make up gibberish songs to commercial jingles, inspired by Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, and Natalie Cole She loves singing with her husband James, with whom she leads one of the most successful party bands in the Houston area, and dreams of opening someday for Celine Dion. She, her husband, and her band are about to embark on a lengthy tour via cruise ship, so catch her now, while she is still ashore! Learn more about this amazing talent by following her on Instagram, @simonegundy, and on Facebook, Simone Jasmine.
Complimentary valet parking will be provided. The concert begins promptly at 2:30, and will finish with time for a bit of post-performance mingling, and plenty of time to drive back before dark. Seats are extremely limited and in demand, so please RSVP ASAP to Aleks Savitski at [email protected].
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
4026 Windswept Dr, Montgomery, TX 77356-5398, United States
