From Broadway to the concert hall, American legend George Gershwin composed it all, revolutionizing music by linking jazz influences with orchestral composition. The Grand Rapids Symphony opens its 2011-12 Fox Motors Pops Series with a night of Gershwin’s enduringly popular music. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 25 at DeVos Performance Hall.
Internationally renowned Pops conductor Jack Everly leads the Symphony in this program of time-honored favorites. The Gershwin tribute features a performance of “Rhapsody in Blue.” Guest pianist Michael Chertock will perform the classic piano extravaganza’s original 1924 version for jazz band. The concert also includes the overture to the movie “Rhapsody in Blue.” The movie overture’s original arrangement and orchestration was uncovered by Jack Everly in the Warner Bros vaults.
Guest vocalist Lauren Kennedy will contribute such favorites including "I Got Rhythm," "Someone to Watch Over Me," and "They Can't Take That Away From Me."
The orchestra will perform additional selections including “Swanee,” the overture to “Girl Crazy,” and selections from “Porgy and Bess.”
“The songs of George and Ira Gershwin have a special place within the American Songbook,” said Jack Everly. “With the Grand Rapids Symphony playing these unique arrangements, this musical evening will be s'wonderful indeed".
Jack Everly, a North American leader in symphonic pops, is widely known for his innovative approach to programs that have brought new audiences to the time-tested and beloved genre. He is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Baltimore and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa), and the Music Director of the “National Memorial Day Concert” and “A Capitol Fourth” on PBS. He has teamed with Marvin Hamlisch in Broadway shows that Mr. Hamlisch scored including “The Goodbye Girl,” “They're Playing Our Song” and “A Chorus Line.” In television and film, Jack Everly has appeared on "In Performance at the White House" and conducted the songs for Disney's animated classic “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
Lauren Kennedy has appeared on Broadway as Lady of the Lake in Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” Daisy Hilton in “Side Show,” Fantine in “Les Miserables” and with Glenn Close in “Sunset Boulevard.” She starred in Off-Broadway productions of “Vanities” and “Good Ol' Girls” and in a pre-Broadway production of “Lone Star Love” with Randy Quaid. She has toured nationally as Betty Schaeffer in “Sunset Boulevard.” She has also starred opposite Val Kilmer in “The Ten Commandments” at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
Michael Chertock has garnered numerous awards at major competitions, among them the top prize in the 1989 Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition (Brahms Division) and the grand prize in the 1993 St. Charles International Piano Competition. Chertock’s many orchestral appearances include solo performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, l’Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal, the Baltimore Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony, and more.
TICKETS
Tickets start at $18 and are available at the Symphony office, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 300 Ottawa NW, Suite 100, or by calling 616/454-9451, Ext. 4. Tickets are available at the DeVos Place Box Office, weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or on the day of the concert beginning two hours prior to the performance. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster, 800/982-2787, online at www.grsymphony.org, or in person at Ticketmaster outlets: select D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare Stores and Walmart. Tickets purchased at these locations will include a Ticketmaster service fee.
About the Grand Rapids Symphony
The Grammy-nominated Grand Rapids Symphony was officially organized in 1930 and is recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras. Led by Music Director David Lockington, eight concert series are presented, featuring a wide range of music and performance styles. More than 400 performances are presented each year, touching the lives of some 170,000. Nearly half of those who benefit are students, senior citizens and people with disabilities reached through extensive education and community service programs. The Symphony sponsors the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, Grand Rapids Youth Symphony and Classical Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Choruses, and also provides the orchestra for Opera Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Ballet Company. To learn more about the Grand Rapids Symphony, please visit www.grsymphony.org.
These concerts are made possible with support from the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.