DSO Welcomes Vocal Trio, Poperazzi, to the Stage for Pops Series
Detroit, (Apr. 4, 2012) –The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) welcomes special guest vocalists Poperazzi as they take you on a musical tour of sunny Italy. Guest conductor Michael Krajewski will lead the Orchestra as Poperazzi sings Italian classics, thrilling arias, Neapolitan songs and more with tributes to Mario Lanza, Pavarotti, Sinatra and Frankie Valli. Plus, the concert will feature music from The Godfather. The Pops Series performances will take place on Friday, April 13 at 10:45 a.m., Saturday, April 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 15 at 3 p.m.
About Poperazzi
Poperazzi has performed across the U.S. and Canada including New Year’s Eve with Atlanta Symphony as well as Houston, Edmonton, Jacksonville, Pasadena, Modesto, Detroit, and Naples. Recently, they were featured on a PBS broadcast from Madison, Wisc. In addition to performing at sea on cruise lines as well as corporate events internationally, Poperazzi enjoys headline entertaining at casino showrooms in their home base of Las Vegas.
Tenor Cody Shawn Gay joins Poperazzi from Las Vegas, where he currently performs up and down the Las Vegas “Strip” bringing with him a diverse range of singing talents, which have delivered him to worldwide destinations from Tokyo to Berlin. Cody studied vocal performance and musical theater at several universities in the U.S. as well as at the University of Urbino, Italy, where he played title roles in many of his favorite plays including Jekyll and Hyde and Phantom.
Classically trained tenor George DeMott is a mix of classic masculinity and charm by capturing the essence of great singers from days gone by with his unique contemporary style. Singing opera to pop and everything in between, his performances have captured the hearts of listeners around the world. He has performed several classic Tenor roles and has also been the winner of several awards and competitions that include the 1993 Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition’s regional finals in Los Angeles and he was also a recipient of the National Italian-American Foundation’s Luciano Pavarotti Scholarship.
Soprano Janien Valentine started her professional career at 16 when she landed her first recording contract with Amherst Records. Numerous singing awards later she decided to board a train to New York City where she landed her first audition for the hit Las Vegas show, “Starlight Express.” She has starred in three world premier musicals including Notre Dame De Paris, Men Are From Mars, Woman Are From Venus and most recently, Carmen.
About Michael Krajewski
Known for his entertaining programs and clever humor, Michael Krajewski is a much sought after conductor of symphonic pops. He is the principal pops conductor of the Houston Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – the first to hold such a title in Atlanta.
As a guest conductor, Krajewski has performed with the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Other guest conducting appearances include the San Francisco, Dallas, Baltimore, Detroit, Indianapolis, Seattle, Phoenix and National symphonies, as well as many other orchestras across the United States. In Canada he has led the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic, and the Edmonton, Kitchener-Waterloo and Winnipeg symphonies. Other international appearances include performances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra in concerts in Belfast and Dublin.
Krajewski is the conductor of the video Silver Screen Serenade with violinist Jenny Oaks Baker that aired worldwide on BYU Broadcasting. He has led the Houston Symphony on two holiday albums: “Glad Tidings” and “Christmas Festival.” Krajewski’s collaborative programs have included such artists as flutist James Galway, mezzo Marilyn Horne, pianist Alicia de Larochha, guitarist Angel Romero, and pop artists Roberta Flack, Judy Collins, Art Garfunkel, Kenny Loggins, Ben Folds, Doc Severinsen, Patti Austin, Sandi Patty, Ann Hampton Callaway, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Chieftains, Pink Martini, Rockapella, Cirque de la Symphonie, Classical Mystery Tour and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets to Viva Italia! at Orchestra Hall begin at $19 and may be purchased at the Max M. Fisher Music Center box office (3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit); by calling (313) 576-5111; or online at www.dso.org. For group discount information (10 people or more), please contact Chuck Dyer at (313) 576-5130 or cdyer@dso.org.
PERFORMANCE
Viva Italia!
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Michael Krajewski, conductor
Poperazzi Vocal Trio:
Janien Valentine
George DeMott
Cody Shawn Gay
Friday, April 13 at 10:45 a.m., Saturday, April 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 15 at 3 p.m.
arr. Robert Wendel Balli il Tarantella!
Giuseppe Verdi “Brindisi” from La Traviata
Trio
Giacomo Puccini “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi
Janien Valentine
Cesare Andrea Bixio Mamma
arr. Joel Matthys
Gioachino Rossini “Largo al factotum” from The Barber of Seville
arr. Nelson
arr. Nelson Salute to the Italian Tenor
George DeMott
Carol Bayer Sager The Prayer
arr. William Ross Trio
Giacomo Puccini “Nessun dorma” from Turandot
Trio
Luigi Denza Funiculi Funicula
arr. Giancarlo Chiaramello Trio
Intermission
Domenico Modungo That’s Volare
& Franco Migliacci
arr. Fred Barton
Maury Yeston “Be Italian” from Nine
arr. John Wasson Janien Valentine
Mario Frangoulis, Sometimes I Dream
Giacomo Puccini George DeMott
arr. Joel Matthys
Nino Rota Music from The Godfather
arr. Gregory Prechel Sinatra Suite
arr. Tim Berens Cody Shawn Gay
arr. Joel Matthys Singing Italian Songs
Trio
Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio Selections from Jersey Boys
and Judy Parker Trio
arr. Steven Reineke
Louis Prima Jump Jive Boogie Woogie
arr. John Wasson Trio
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