Next week I will be so pleased to be on tour with the wonderful symphony organization called Symphoria–the former Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. Two and a half years ago I was deeply saddened when the SSO filed for bankruptcy and ended their 50th season early, before the long-awaited Yo-Yo Ma concert. Imagine my glee when the successor organization contacted me this past summer to invite me to perform as their Holiday Pops soloist in their inaugural season as they gathered their troops back together for more music-making! What a privilege to help usher in a new era for my hometown cultural institution, our beloved symphony. This said, I am inviting every friend, family member, fan, former student and music-lover in central New York to join us in celebrating and supporting “Symphoria Pops Open the Holidays”–our Holiday Pops tour through Jamestown, Auburn, Herkimer and Syracuse, NY. We kick off the tour at the RegLenna Civic Center in Jamestown on Wednesday, December 4 at 8pm. We then move to Auburn High School for a concert Thursday, December 5 at 8pm, and then to Herkimer High School Friday, December 6 at 8pm. The talented teenaged tenor, Nick Ziobro, will be the featured vocalist at three more regional concerts (Oswego, Cortland and Rome) on December 15, 16 and 18, after which Nick and I will join forces with conductor Sean O’Loughlin, The Syracuse Pops Chorus and the Empire State Dance Center for a holiday extravaganza on Friday, December 20 at 7:30 at the Crouse-Hinds Concert Hall in Syracuse’s OnCenter on Montgomery Street. Ticket information for each concert is available at the Symphoria box office (315-299-5598) and at www.experiencesymphoria.org. For more information, please see my website.
The concert program for each of my four shows with Symphoria will include beautiful holiday arrangements of familiar songs arranged by Grammy-winning arrangers Chris Walden and Bill Cunliffe, as well as Jason Goldman. We will also perform a beautifully-orchestrated “Peter Pan Suite,” “It’s a Wonderful Life Suite,” and a traditional singalong medley of carols. These will be unforgettable evenings–please forward this information to anyone you believe would appreciate knowing, and thank you in advance for supporting the arts! I wish you many blessings for a safe, happy, and musical holiday season!