MARCH 9 • 2023 | 51
Ithaca College with a voice
major and theater minor while
Bobo graduated with a degree
in composition.
Since then, Bobo and Smith
have performed with differ-
ent bands, and Bobo opened
a recording studio where he
has been very busy as a music
producer. Smith and his broth-
er, Damon, a pianist, recently
released a record under the
name “The Brightmares,
”
which is streaming on Spotify,
Apple Music and iTunes.
COMING FULL CIRCLE
And then, during the pandem-
ic, Smith heard about an audi-
tion call for The Simon & Garfunkel Story.
“We both thought that it was a no-brain-
er for us to audition for the show. Jonah’s
agent got us both an appointment, and we
auditioned as a duo,
” said Smith who, along
with Liam Fennecken and Jim Hogan of
their group, T.3, made it to the quarterfi-
nals of Season 16 of America’s Got Talent
in 2021. While Smith is currently on tour
with The Simon & Garfunkel Story, Hogan
is in Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway, and
Fennecken is in a regional production of
Rock of Ages.
“My mother and her parents were raised
Jewish in New York City. My grandparents
had a deep love for Simon and Garfunkel
because they were two main-
stream Jewish boys from
Queens. They are thrilled to
see me perform this music that
they loved so much,
” Smith
added.
Just 18 days before Bobo
turned 26 on Jan. 24, he and
Smith started on The Simon &
Garfunkel Story tour.
“This whole thing is really
serendipity,
” says Bobo, who
has it written in his contract
that he will not perform in
shows during Passover so that
he can be home in New York
with his family. “It means a
lot to us that what we’ve been
doing for the past 10 years,
we can now perform this tribute to Simon
and Garfunkel on such a large scale to
thousands of people across the country. It’s
unbelievable.
”
See Jonah Bobo and Brendan Jacob Smith perform-
ing as the singing duo at their school, The Fiorello H.
LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts & Performing
Arts, at https://youtu.be/d6_uY585-g4.
ABOVE: Brendan Jacob Smith, left, plays Art Garfunkel and Jonah Bobo,
right, plays Paul Simon as they take the stage in The Simon & Garfunkel
Story for two shows only.
Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation.
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