A packed house, a Broadway crooner and a stage overflowing with 150 of the area's best musicians.

Saturday night's concert at the Alberta Bair Theater was a dream gig for the Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale.

Conductor Anne Harrigan was grinning almost as much as the audience throughout the two-hour concert, "Broadway Favorites with Doug LaBrecque." It opened with "Gypsy Overture," featuring the BSO's horn section in a medley of hits from the 1959 production, including "I Had a Dream" and "Everything's coming up Roses."

Then the fireworks ignited and LeBrecque took over the stage, swaggering out front and gushing about his first Montana performance.

"When I was a kid, I wanted to go to all 50 states and this is my 50th," he told the crowd. "I also wanted to sing with a symphony orchestra in every state, and this is my 49th."

On Friday, LeBrecque taught a master class for seven local voice students, and one of the students, Kennedee Burk, a freshman at West High, was watching him perform Saturday from the second row.

"He's so funny and sarcastic," Burk said. "He gave me permission to belt it out."

By intermission, LeBrecque had proven to the rest of the audience that it is OK to belt one out. He ended the first half with a stunning version of "Over the Rainbow."

But he wasn't the only vocalist to shine. Several members of the Billings Symphony Chorale were featured on Leonard Bernstein's "Candide Suite," including Bret Weston, Gary Treglown, Michelle Maurer and Becci Larson.

Billings vocalists Susan Sommerfeld and Amy Logan performed solos throughout the evening, but were most impressive on "Candide."

Cellist Karla Carr said the pop music was a fun break from the more serious compositions the orchestra usually plays.

"It's refreshing to play such upbeat music. And so far, we haven't poked anyone with our bows," Carr joked, referring to how crowded the stage was.

LeBrecque came out propping in the second half wearing a velvet derby for his rendition of "Wilkommen"" from "Cabaret" and white gloves and messy hair for "Mr. Cellophane" from "Chicago."

Two ovations later, LeBrecque returned to the stage for a second encore number, a misty-eyed "Memories" from "Cats."

"I know there are many great things in Billings, but nothing is more terrific than the symphony orchestra," LeBrecque told the crowd.

Later he added, "This has been really a blast. I could sing here every night."

And from the excitement he generated Saturday night, LeBrecque could draw a crowd every single night.

The BSO performs Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" Nov. 28 and 29 with the Idaho Ballet company.