MSO Pops to Perform from Disney Songbook in Concert, 4/24

MILWAUKEE, WIS. 03/31/2015 - The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Pops presents Disney in Concert: Tale as Old as Time on April 24-26, 2015 at the Marcus Center for Performing Arts. Experience the magic of Disney as guest conductor Stuart Chafetz leads the orchestra and vocalists Lisa Livesay, Whitney Claire Kaufman, Aaron Phillips, and Andrew Johnson in a concert of memorable melodies and Disney visuals. Scenes include movie favorites such as Frozen, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Tangled, The Lion King, and more.

Sunday's performance offers pre-concert activities for families, including a conductor station, composer station, instrument petting zoo, and Kohl's Color Wheels, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Stuart Chafetz is a conductor with an affable podium demeanor and a keen sense of audience engagement. Increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent, this season Chafetz will be on the podium in Naples, Phoenix, Houston, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cincinnati, Hawaii, Columbus, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Louisiana, Grand Rapids, and others. Previous conducting appearances include the orchestras of Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Florida (Tampa). Chafetz previously held posts as resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and associate conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. As principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony for twenty years, Chafetz would also conduct the annual Nutcracker performances with Ballet Hawaii and principals from the American Ballet Theatre. It was during that time that Chafetz led numerous concerts with the Maui Symphony and Pops.

Lisa Livesay is thrilled to be a part of Disney in Concert. Her history with Disney began at Hong Kong Disneyland, where she played Belle in The Golden Mickeys, sang in High School Musical: LIVE!, and was the voice of safety spiels and special announcements for various attractions and events throughout the park. Lisa was recently seen in the role of Glinda on the national tour of Wicked. Other theater credits include Monteen in Jason Robert Brown's Parade (LA Music Center), Olive in 25th...Spelling Bee, Peter Pan in Peter Pan, Cathy in The Last 5 Years, and Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Lisa recently starred in the feature film Monday Nights at 7 (currently in post production) with Edward James Olmos. Lisa has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Golden State Pops Orchestra, Orange County Symphony, and Onstage Pops. You can spot Lisa with Bigfoot on a TOYOTA commercial, and occasionally, you'll hear her voice on select films and TV shows. She resides in Burbank, CA with her husband, composer Nolan Livesay. Lisa is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA.

Whitney Claire Kaufman recently completed two years with the North American tour of the Broadway smash-hit Mamma Mia! (ensemble and understudy for Sophie and Lisa). Her performance as Sophie garnered rave reviews from the Boston Globe. Whitney has performed as guest soloist with the Malaysian Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, and Florida orchestras and has appeared in Cabaret (Sally Bowles), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Peaseblossom), Marisol (June), and The Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble's production of Wounded, as well as many other theatrical productions. TV credits include General Hospital and the hit ABC series Modern Family. As both a singer and voiceover performer in film and television, Whitney has been heard in productions including That Championship Season, The Secret of NiMH 2, and two MGM animated series: All Dogs Go to Heaven and Noddy. She recently recorded songs by Oscar-winning composer Dimitri Tiomkin. Whitney graduated with honors from Chapman University with a BFA in Theater Performance. Her favorite Disney movie is The Little Mermaid, with Cinderella as a close second.

Aaron Phillips is very excited to be part of this wonderful production. Aaron is an Ovation Award nominated actor/singer, proud member of Actor's Equity, and can frequently be seen on film and TV. Past theatre credits include: Jekyll and Hyde (John Utterson), Batboy: The Musical (Batboy/Edgar), Songs for a New World, and LES MISERABLES (Foreman/Combeferre). Opera credits include: La Bohéme with the

Greensboro Opera Company and conductor Valery Ryvkin, Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King), and Lakme (Frederic) by Delibes. Aaron recently appeared in a staged reading of The Bone Wars (O'Conner) with the prestigious New York playwright group Youngbloods. You may have seen Aaron as Carl, half of the duo that is the face of Lipton Iced Tea. He is also an accomplished voice-over talent and can be heard in video games such as World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption, and Lord of the Rings. He is a man of many voices for commercials, cartoons, and music sessions everywhere. Aaron has been a Disney fan his entire life and is happy to help bring this music to fans of all ages.

Andrew Johnson is a Disney kid at heart and is humbled and honored to share the music and magic from the stage. He has toured all over the United States, Europe, and Asia as a lead vocalist and dancer, and his performances have been broadcasted on national and international television. You can currently catch him as a background vocalist and dancer on FOX's The X Factor. He most recently performed on The Conan O'Brien Show in the comedy spoof Broadway Rap Musicals: Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, & Vanilla Ice and performed with Florence and the Machine at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. His other theatrical credits include Rent (Benny), Five Guys Named Moe (Four-Eyed Moe), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph, Asher), Godspell (Jesus), and Pippin (Lead Player). Andrew has shared the stage with singers/actresses Shirley Jones and Bernadette Peters and has performed live duets with recording artists Patti LaBelle and Erykah Badu and singer/actress Jodi Benson (voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid). He just recently released his new EP on iTunes entitled Elevation, under his artist name Drew Michael. He would like to thank his family for their unconditional love and support and Ted Ricketts for the opportunity to be part of this show.

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

Disney in Concert: Tale as Old as Time
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Lisa Livesay, vocalist
Whitney Claire Kaufman, vocalist
Aaron Phillips, vocalist
Andrew Johnson, vocalist

Uihlein Hall, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts

Friday, April 24 | 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 25 | 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 26 | 2:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $25-105. For more information, please call 414.291.7605 or visit mso.org. Tickets may also be purchased through the Marcus Center Box Office at 414.273.7206.

ABOUT THE MSO
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Edo de Waart, is among the finest orchestras in the nation and the largest cultural institution in Wisconsin. Now in his sixth season with the MSO, Maestro de Waart has led sold-out concerts, elicited critical acclaim, and conducted a celebrated performance at Carnegie Hall on May 11, 2012. The MSO's full-time professional musicians perform over 135 classics, pops, family, education, and community concerts each season in venues throughout the state. Since its inception in 1959, the MSO has found innovative ways to give music a home in the region, develop music appreciation and talent among area youth, and raise the national reputation of Milwaukee.

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