It's a double billing of out-of-this stratosphere musicianship as two renowned Grammy winners - jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and classical violinist Joshua Bell - take to the stage on August 15. Botti and Bell deliver impassioned, ageless, genre-crossing music to St. Regis Big|Brave Stars, Bright Nights concertgoers, beginning at 7 p.m. All St. Regis Big|Brave Stars, Bright Nights concerts take place at Deer Valley Resort's Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater. Concert tickets and information available at Park City Institute's box office, 435-655-3114, or online at www.BigStarsBrightNightsConcerts.org
Chris Botti has proven over and over again that he is an exceptional balladeer - whether performing the "Star Spangled Banner" in the New York Giants' stadium or captivating audiences at the Blue Note Club. He's sold more than four million albums, won Grammy awards, played with A-list pop collaborators - most notably Paul Simon, Sting, Herbie Hancock and Yo-Yo Ma - and appeared in venues ranging from The White House to Carnegie Hall. Oft-noted for his matinee idol good looks, Botti is considerably more than a pretty face. He has delivered four No. 1 albums on Billboard's Jazz Albums listings and still manages to keep up a rigorous, global touring schedule. And his sound, while rooted in jazz, seamlessly crosses genres.
As one New York Times reviewer notes, "Chris Botti has a trumpet sound that suggests the softer side of luminosity, the realm of sunsets and half-moons and low-wattage incandescence. Mellow and pearly, it emits an unabashed beauty..."
Joshua Bell, considered "the greatest American violinist active today" (The Boston Herald), has all the prestigious accolades of a superstar classical musician. He commands the stage as a soloist, wielding his 18th century French bow across the strings of his 1713 Stradivarius. Yet, he's equally comfortable sharing the stage as a chamber musician, orchestra leader - or in the recording studio. Like Botti, he has collaborated with A-list musicians, ranging from Plácido Domingo to Alison Krauss, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth and Sting. Named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 2011, Bell is the first person to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958.
Bell has performed on many television programs including five PBS specials and last year's HBO YoungArts Joshua Bell MasterClass; and he has made numerous White House appearances. However it was when Bell agreed to perform incognito as a subway busker - part of Washington Post's Gene Weingarten Pulitzer Prize winning story about art and context - that he transitioned from "musician's musician" to household name as the article provoked an international firestorm of discussion. In addition to relentless international and stateside touring, he has recorded numerous movie soundtracks including the Oscar Winning score for "The Red Violin," which is among more than 40 CDs since his first recording at age 18. Bell's most recent, the 2014 Bach album (recorded with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields) debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Chart.
Critics concur that Bell's performance stirs souls. As the Kansas City Star puts it, "Few people on earth can evoke as sweet a sound from a string instrument as Joshua Bell." And the Washington Post writes, Bell is "one of the most imaginative, technically gifted and altogether extraordinary violinists of our time."
"Chris Botti and Joshua Bell take musical accomplishment to new heights," says PCI executive director Teri Or. "Neither gentleman has chosen to rest on any laurels - rather continuing to create and perform tenaciously, graciously and beautifully. We are honored to welcome them to our summer concert series."
Videos