Harry Connick Jr. inside Derby’s Sterling Opera House.
DERBY — Grammy-winning singer Harry Connick Jr. decided to film a video inside Derby’s Sterling Opera House Feb. 1 after his daughter, Georgia, discovered the old theater while searching the Internet.
The video filmed in the Elizabeth Street landmark, “Amazing Grace,” was released Friday (Feb. 12) as the first single off “Alone with My Faith,” scheduled to be released March 19.
The new album is Connick’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It features a number of spiritual tunes designed to bolster faith during a challenging time, to say the least.
Connick’s daughter, Georgia, 24, a 2015 New Canaan High School graduate, is well on her way to becoming an accomplished photographer, videographer, and artist in her own right. She directed and edited The Sterling Opera House shoot.
The opera house, by the way, has been restored on the outside — but the city does not have the funds needed to restore the interior, so the building is closed to the public. There is no heat or electricity inside.
Click here for a previous Valley Indy story on the Connick family’s adventure in Derby.
Connick, by the way, is from New Orleans and burst onto the national music scene in 1988 with the soundtrack to the classic Rob Reiner romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally,” for which Connick won a Grammy.
‘Amazing Grace,’ the video filmed inside The Sterling Opera House, is embedded below. The article continues below the video.
His career includes a number of acting roles in prominent movies such as ‘Hope Floats,’ ‘Copycat,’ ‘Memphis Belle,’ along with a guest role on the NBC sitcom ‘Will & Grace.’ Connick was also a judge on ‘American Idol.’ That’s in addition to releasing more than 30 music albums since 1987.
Connick participated in a short Q & A with The Valley Indy over email. The questions and Connick’s answers are published below.
Valley Independent Sentinel: Of all the places to film a music video, how did you come across The Sterling Opera House in Derby?
Harry Connick Jr.: Georgia, my daughter and director, was looking for a place that had a certain type of old-school beauty that matched the beauty of the song “Amazing Grace.” She looked online and was drawn to the Sterling Opera House, which turned out to be an absolutely perfect location.
VIS:How did the location fit into the theme of your new album?
Connick: The fact that the building hasn’t been used in years fit perfectly with the concept of the album, Alone With My Faith, where i could sing this beautiful liturgical song completely alone. We certainly hope that this building will be revived at some point, though, because it is an absolute gem!
VIS: Was city government receptive to the idea?
Connick: They were immediately responsive and could not have been more accommodating. They worked very hard to fill all of our requests and could not have been more helpful when we got to the location. We are so grateful to everyone who was involved in making this production a reality.
VIS: There was some 10 inches of snow dumped in the region around the time of the shoot. Did you have to race through filming due to the impending storm that day?
Connick: It’s funny … we didn’t have to race through the shoot due to the storm — we had to race through the shoot because we were absolutely freezing! Georgia was a true pro, but I had to go to my truck every 10 minutes to try to warm my hands and feet – no heat or electricity! It was well worth it though, because you could actually see the breath coming out of my mouth. We will never forget that day.
