God has a way of making things happen. After meeting each other at a wedding (of all places), Jose Irizarry (of Allegretto Music) kept running into Donald Braswell in the most unlikely places. Each time, Jose would end the converstaion with "You know, Donald, I am a pretty good arranger. I can write sheet music for you, for whatever instruments you need. Just let me know anytime you need anything." And Donald would always say: "Man, that would be really good."
Well, at their last "chance" encounter, during a Symphony concert in Kerrville, Donald said: "This cannot be a coincidence, that you are here. I need you to write some music for me." And so it was. Donald had an opportunity to perform with the Symphony of the Hills, in a Pops Concert format. That meant that Donald would sing with his band, accompanied by the full orchestra. The challenge, each of the 70 orchestra musicians would need sheet music to read from. Donald's band did not have orchestra arrangements for the music they were going to perform. So they asked Jose if he could write some string parts, or even transcribe some keyboard charts they had. At least that way they could involve some of the orchestra for the pop songs.
Jose had a much bigger vision for this concert. He suggested that Donald needed full orchestrations for his music, similar to the style of concerts put on by famous tenors like Andrea Bocelli. After all, the first time they worked together, Jose and Allegretto accompanied Donald singing Bocelli's Con Te Partiro. Donald's people were skeptical. That sounded like a huge project. Was it even doable in the space of 3 weeks? Jose offered to write an orchestration for the first song. If they liked it, then he would write more. If not, then no harm done, right? Well.... they liked it.... a LOT!
Donald prepares backstage before the performanceJose wrote orchestrations for 9 pieces, including an original song composed by Donald's musical director, Anthony Bazzani. The concert was held on Saturday, June 27th at the Cailloux Theater in Kerrville, TX. The concert was sold out. Some of Donald's fans traveled from OR, CA, VA, OH, AR, NV and other parts of the country for the event.
Donald started out the evening with arias from the classical opera repertoire, proving that he's still got the chops for Verdi, Donizetti and Massenet. Then, his New Chapter band emerged from the orchestra pit, and kicked off the rest of the concert with Sometimes I Dream, a song by tenor Mario Frangoulis.
The audience really enjoyed an Italian-English version of Nights In White Satin by Justin Hayward and Moody Blues. And everyone was touched when Donald sang Buongiorno Pricipessa from the motion picture Life Is Beautiful.
But the highlight of the night was when he performed The Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody. The arrangement started out quietly, with just the harp and built up from there to include the entire orchestra. It was awesome!
To end the concert, Braswell chose to sing his signature song You Raise Me Up, made popular by Josh Groban. It was the song with which he auditioned for the TV show that has given him a second chance at his first love of making music. At the end, the audience wanted more. So for an encore, Donald sang a soulful, gospel-style song: Change Is Gonna Come. The concert was a total success and Donald could not have been more pleased with his decision to have Jose write all the orchestrations. "The arrangements make a huge difference," Donald said the first time he heard them in rehearsal. Representatives from PBS were in attendance at the June 7th concert, where the arrangements were first played with just a string quartet. Donald's musical director said that they had been "blown away by the arrangements", and have decided to produce a national PBS special with Donald, his band and Allegretto Music.
Has there been a successful theatrical adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book yet? Excepting the 1950 short “Gerald McBoing Boing,” most of the films adapted from Dr. Seuss’ work have failed to capture the peculiar style and vibe of the beloved children’s book author. Ron Howard’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Cat in the Hat” were both so bad as to offend fans of Seuss, and “Horton Hears a Who,” while looking more like the Seuss world should look, was generally uninspired. My kids wanted to turn it off after ten minutes. With great trepidation I ventured forth into a screening of “The Lorax,” in 3D no less, thinking, unless someone cares an awful lot, these movies aren’t going to get any better. They’re not.
Donald Braswell, the New Chapter Band and Allegretto strings onstage
Allegretto Strings onstage at Concordia Lutheran
Donald Braswell signs autographs after his performance
In the classic MGM Dr. Kildare films the stories revolve around progress in medicine aided by cutting edge diagnostics and technology. By contrast, the plots in the RKO Dr. Christian films involve the conflicts triggered when Tradition meets Progress. The central message being that without the humanity and compassion of traditional values, progress is meaningless (if not downright harmful). 
In The Courageous Dr. Christian (1940), an outbreak of spinal meningitis threatens the residents of a slum neighborhood on the outskirts of River’s End. The children especially are vulnerable. Local politicians show little interest until the escalating epidemic begins to encroach on their own Special Interests. Things look quite grim until Dr. Christian whips out his microscope and gets down to business. The venerable doctor outwits the politicos, rescues a family from the slums and fights off the amorous predatory advances of a wealthy dowager –- all in the course of 67 minutes. 
In the final two films, Melody for Three (1941) and They Meet Again (1941), Dr. Christian focuses his healing powers on the shattered emotions and broken hearts of two talented child prodigies.
Then the father of a 9-year old singing prodigy has mistakenly been jailed for embezzlement in the final film in the series, They Meet Again. Child actress Anne Bennett is impressive as daughter Janie and brings down the house during the state-wide singing contest when she bursts into an aria from La Traviata. Famed comedian Imogene Coca has a zany cameo as a love-struck paramour. 
Dafoe had become a national celebrity for his role in the quintuplets' lives, and two more films followed in which Hersholt played Dr. Luke -- Reunion (1936) and Five of a Kind (1938). 
The first broadcast in November 1937 opened with a few words from Hersholt about how "the birth of five little girls in Canada" couldn't possibly have an effect on an actor playing doctor roles in Hollywood, and yet somehow it did.From the beginning the character of the doctor was clear: he was self-effacing with praise but indignant at injustice, a little conservative with his diagnoses but nevertheless at the forefront of medicine, and always kind, but also willing to use a little psychological trickery with difficult, complaining cases. In River's End Dr. Christian cared not only for the health of people, but for their spirits. 
Jean Hersholt, with his affable and familiar Danish accent, is primarily remembered for his acting skills in many other distinguished film rolls. He appeared in nearly 150 films, including the poignant role of Shirley Temple's embittered but beloved grandfather in the memorable film version of Heidi (1937); his masterful portrayal of Marcus in Erich von Stroheim's silent masterpiece Greed (1924); and the Porter in Grand Hotel (1932).
Also in 1956, Hersholt’s Dr. Christian radio and film creation came full circle when Ziv Television Productions founder Frederick Ziv contracted with Jean Hersholt and associates to develop 39 episodes of Dr. Christian for the 1956-57 TV season. The lead character was established as Dr. Christian’s nephew, Dr. Mark Christian, asportrayed by a popular actor named Macdonald Carey and scripted by Gene Roddenberry of Star Trek fame. 
The final act of Hersholt’s life played out much like a poignant and bittersweet finale to many of his Dr. Christian stories. When Frederick Ziv approached Hersholt about his pro-posed TV version of Dr. Christian, it was known that Hersholt was dying of cancer. Nonetheless, for the premiere episode, a gravely ill, 95 lb Jean Hersholt mustered the courage to be on hand in River’s End just long enough to turn the keys to his medical practice over to his TV nephew. He died shortly after filming wrapped on June 2, 1956, and only a few weeks prior to his 70th birthday. Jean Hersholt’s real-life nephew is actor Leslie Nielsen.___________________________
All six films in the Dr. Christian series are available separately or in a deluxe box set from Movies Unlimited.