Cincinnati Pops Kicks Off Summer 2015 with BROADWAY SING-ALONG Tonight

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra will begin its summer series at Riverbend Music Center's Corbett Pavilion tonight, June 6 at 8 p.m. with a special "Broadway Sing-Along" featuring classic Broadway hits and inviting the audience to sing along.

Conductor John Morris Russell will lead Orchestra and audience in classics such as "Defying Gravity" from Wicked and selections from Rocky Horror Picture Show. Special guests Julia Murney (who impressed Cincinnati Pops audiences when she stepped in at the last minute for "Wicked Divas" in 2009), Doug LaBrecque, the Young Professionals Choral Collective, and Cincinnati Men's Chorus Männerchor round out a top-notch cast to offer a wide variety of tunes. The winners from the ArtsWave "Cincy Sings" competition will also make an appearance on the program.

With selections from The Lion King, Mary Poppins, South Pacific, Carousel, Mamma Mia! and more, the popular program kicks off the summer Pops season alongside local and national talent.

Tickets for this concert start at $20 are still available and can be purchased via the Pops Box office by calling (513) 381-3300 or visiting www.cincinnatipops.org. Kids 17 and under sit free on the lawn with a purchase of an adult ticket.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

Julia Murney, vocalist - Julia Murney last appeared on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked after playing the role on the national tour for which she received an Acclaim Award. Other New York credits include Lennon, Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party (Drama Desk nomination), Falling (Drama Desk nomination), The Landing, The Vagina Monologues, A Class Act, Saved, Crimes of the Heart, Queen of the Mist, Closer Than Ever, and Time and Again (Lucille Lortel nomination). She's been seen regionally all over the U.S.-Signature, Williamstown, Reprise!LA, Sacramento Music Circus, NCT, MUNY, Rubicon and Goodspeed, to name a few-and in concert she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Joe's Pub, 54 Below, Feinstein's, The Kennedy Center, Caramoor, Town Hall and Birdland as well as with the Philly, Cincinnati, and Boston Pops. Among her TV credits are 30 Rock, Sex and the City, Brothers and Sisters, Ed, NYPD Blue, all three Law and Orders and about a gazillion voiceovers. A Syracuse University graduate, her recordings include the original cast albums of The Wild Party and A Class Act, the Grammy nominated Actor's Fund Benefit of Hair and her first solo album, I'm Not Waiting which is available on Sh-K-Boom records and at juliamurney.com.

Doug Labrecque, vocalist - Doug LaBrecque thrilled theatre audiences as The Phantom and Raoul in the Harold Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera. In addition, Mr. LaBrecque has starred on Broadway as Ravenal in the Hal Prince revival of Showboat, a role he also performed in Canada and Chicago. He was featured in Oscar Hammerstein's 100th Birthday Celebration on Broadway at The Gershwin Theatre, and toured nationally with Les Miserables. Regionally, Mr. LaBrecque has performed leading roles in Candide, A Chorus Line, Man of LaMancha among many others. A graduate of University of Michigan he was also featured in the world premiere of A Wonderful Life, written by Sheldon Harnick and Joe Raposo, and starred in the premiere revival of Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner's Love Life.

One of the most prolific concert performers of his generation, Mr. LaBrecque has been a soloist with some of the world's finest symphony orchestras including The National Symphony, The Israel Philharmonic (Tel Aviv), The Chicago Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony, The San Francisco Symphony, among many others. In the last few years, Mr. LaBrecque's U.S. appearances have included Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Houston Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, The Utah Symphony and with Marvin Hamlisch both at the Ravinia Festival with The Chicago Symphony, and with The Pittsburgh Symphony. In a tribute to Richard Rodgers, Mr. LaBrecque recently made his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist with the New York Pops, the same season he debuted with The Boston Pops. Alongside Jeff Tyzik, he appeared with both the St. Louis and Seattle Symphony's for their Holiday Celebrations as well as numerous performances with The Naples Philharmonic. With Peter Nero he was featured in "Broadway Showstoppers" a live recording with Mr. Nero's Philly Pops. Other special engagements have included singing with Carole Bayer-Sager at Feinsteins's in Manhattan and the Cinegrill in Los Angeles, performing alongside broadway legend Jerry Herman with the Naples Philharmonic, and appearing onstage with Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch (singing together!) at Hickory Hill, the legendary home of Ethel Kennedy. International engagements have included The Korean National Symphony in Seoul, Korea, The Shanghai Radio Orchestra in China, The Hong Kong Philharmonic, The Vancouver and Calgary Symphonies in Canada, The Brazilian Symphony Orchestra in Rio De Janeiro, The Jerusalem Symphony, and numerous return engagements with the Israel Philharmonic. Mr. LaBrecque recently appeared in Alba Italy as the guest soloist in an all Bernstein concert and returned to the International Music Festival in The Czech Republic.

John Morris Russell, conductor - A remarkable artist with boundless enthusiasm for music-making of all kinds, John Morris Russell is a modern conductor who engages and enthralls audiences with the full breadth of the orchestral experience. Now in his third season as Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Mr. Russell's diverse programming and electric stage presence have infused new creativity and energy into one of the world's most iconic pops orchestras.

Consistently winning international praise for his extraordinary music-making and visionary leadership, this Ohio native is also Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina where Mr. Russell's commitment has yielded a new level of artistic excellence.

A popular guest conductor throughout the United States and Canada, he also holds the title of Conductor Laureate with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Ontario, Canada, where he served as Music Director for eleven years.

McPhee and Marvin Winans - With the Cincinnati Pops, Mr. Russell regularly leads sold-out performances at Cincinnati's Music Hall. Additionally, he conducts the Pops at the Riverbend Music Center and in concerts throughout the Greater Cincinnati region and on tour. Mr. Russell has collaborated with generations of great performers including the late Ray Charles and Rosemary Clooney, as well as Idina Menzel, Vince Gill, Branford Marsalis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Megan Hilty, Michael McDonald, George Takei, Amy Grant, Brian Wilson, Katharine

His first three recordings released with the Cincinnati Pops on the Orchestra's Fanfare Cincinnati label, Home for the Holidays and Superheroes! and Carnival of the Animals, have all appeared on the Billboard charts. In December 2014, Mr. Russell led the Cincinnati Pops on a Florida tour, the first tour since the Pops performed in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics under the late Cincinnati Pops founder Erich Kunzel.

A sought-after guest conductor across the continent, Mr. Russell returned to the Hollywood Bowl this summer to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a trio of concerts. Other recent engagements include the New York Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, among others.

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