nsoro SuperPOPs! Concert to Open With 'Andrew Lloyd Webber and Friends'

Webber

Beginning Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25, 2008, Conductor Michael Krajewski and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will open the nsoro SuperPOPS! concert series with "Andrew Lloyd Webber and Friends" - a musical revue featuring selections from Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Evita, as well as other Broadway blockbusters such as A Chorus Line, Jekyll and Hyde, Wicked and many others.

Additional ASO nsoro SuperPOPS! concerts this season will include Cirque de la Symphonie, November 28-29, 2008, which combines the feats of cirque artists with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra live in concert; Conductor Jere Flint will lead the ASO and Bill Medley in a program of love songs on Valentine's Day February 13- 14, 2009;  The Classical Mystery Tour will feature the stars of Beatlemania, March 20 and 21, 2009, leading a 40th Anniversary celebration of the Fab Four's album and film;  Big Bad Voodoo Daddy returns April 17-18, 2009, with their popular brand of swing jazz and rockabilly; and Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti will perform music from his new CD, Italia, May 22-23, 2009. (See complete schedule attached.)

On Saturday, April 25, 2008, the ASO will welcome Regis Philbin, host of Live with Regis and Kelly, to the stage for a special pops presentation concert.  This one-night-only performance will feature a mix of songs and repartee drawn from Mr. Philbin's varied career as a TV personality, best-selling author, and singer.

About the Artists

Much in demand across the United States and Canada, pops conductor Michael Krajewski delights concertgoers with his imaginative and entertaining programs and his wry sense of humor.

Michael serves as principal pops conductor of the Houston, New Mexico and Jacksonville symphonies and is conductor of the New Hampshire Music Festival pops concert series. He also enjoys a special relationship with the ASO, with which he makes regular appearances.

As a guest conductor, Michael has performed with the Boston Pops and the Hollywood Bowl orchestras and has appeared with numerous orchestras across the United States including those of San Francisco, Detroit, Minnesota, St. Louis, Baltimore and Phoenix. He has performed with artists including James Galway, Marilyn Horne, Alicia de Larrocha, Roberta Flack, Judy Collins, Art Garfunkel and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

Debbie Gravitte won the Tony Award for "Best Featured Actress in A Musical" for Jerome Robbins' Broadway, along with a Drama Desk Award Nomination and New York Showstopper Award.

After making her Broadway debut in the original cast of They're Playing Our Song, she went on to appear in: Perfectly Frank (Drama Desk Award Nomination), Blues in the Night, Ain't Broadway Grand, Zorba, Chicago, and Les Miserables.  Ms Gravitte has appeared in the Encore's series productions of The Boys from Syracuse, Tenderloin, and Carnival at New York's City Center.

Anne Runolfsson's recently starred on Broadway as Carlotta Giudacelli in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. Prior to that, she was a standby for Julie Andrews and Liza Minnelli in Victor/Victoria. She performed the title role over 120 times and went on to recreate the role in the national tour which began in Seattle and Houston.

Other Broadway and National Tour credits include: James Joyce's The Dead, Les Miserable, Cyrano-The Musical, The Secret Garden, and Aspects of Love. Off-Broadway and Regional credits include: Listen to My Heart, Rags, Jack's Holiday, Cather County, A Little Night Music, Showboat, and Funny Girl.

Doug LaBrecque starred as Raoul in the Harold Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera.  In addition, he    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.

An active concert performer, Mr. LaBrecque has been a soloist with some of the world's finest symphony orchestras including the ASO, the National Symphony, the Israel Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony, among many others.

Classical Mystery Tour offers the live experience of capturing the sound of the Beatles in the comfort of a concert hall. The Los Angeles Times calls the show "more than just an incredible simulation...the swelling strings and soaring French horn gives the live performance a high goose-bump quotient...the crowd stood and bellowed for more."

The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tour look and sound just like The Beatles, but Classical Mystery Tour is more than just a rock concert.  The full show presents some 30 Beatles tunes sung, played, and performed exactly as they were written.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O," "You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight," and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit."

Over the last few years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has played on the Pops programs of American symphony orchestras, including the ASO and the San Francisco Symphony.

Cirque de la Symphonie is a new production formed to bring the magic of cirque to the music hall. It is an adaptation of artistic performances widely seen in theaters and arenas everywhere. Artists include the most amazing veterans of exceptional cirque programs throughout the world- aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers, balancers, and strongmen. Each artist's performance is professionally choreographed to classical masterpieces and popular contemporary music.

Since the release of his first solo album in 1995, trumpeter Chris Botti has created a series of recordings which have captured the attention of the pop music world.

Botti has earned both critical acclaim and mainstream appreciation for albums including When I Fall In Love (2004, #1 Top Jazz Album, #37 Billboard Top 200), To Love Again: The Duets (2005, #1 Top Jazz Album, #18 Billboard Top 200), and Chris Botti Live with Orchestra & Special Guests (2006, #2 Top Jazz Album).

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Orange County's Santa Ana, Bill Medley always had a passion for music. He entered amateur singing contests during his youth, but it wasn't until he heard the music of Ray Charles that the idea of making music for a living coalesced.

"When I heard Ray Charles, it wasn't so much that I wanted to do that," he reflects. "It was that I needed to do that."

Medley formed a local group called The Paramours, and was introduced to Bobby Hatfield, who led and group called The Variations. In 1962, Hatfield and Medley formed the Righteous Brothers, a partnership that lasted four decades. On occasion Medley would sing with other partners, including Jennifer Warren, on the number one hit "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing which won a Grammy, an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

 Emmy-Award winner Regis Philbin has become a cultural icon in television broadcasting since he first stepped in front of the camera more than 40 years ago.  In 2006, he broke his own existing Guinness World Recordä for Most Hours on Camera, setting a new mark of 15,662 hours accumulated over his illustrious career.  "Live with Regis and Kelly" is currently in its landmark 20th season in national syndication.

In September, 2004, Hollywood Records released Philbin's album of timeless songs, When You're Smiling, produced by producer/singer Steve Tyrell.  The disc isn't his first musical venture - that was 1968's It's Time for Regis!, recorded during his days on "The Joey Bishop Show." It took 38 years for his follow-up album, a collection of some of the greatest songs in American pop music, including "Pennies From Heaven" and "It Had to be You."  The Regis Philbin Christmas Album, which debuted in September, 2005, features duets with Joy Philbin, Tyrell, and special appearance by Donald Trump, was one of the season's top-selling holiday albums.

In 2001, Philbin received a TV Guide Award for Personality of the Year, and a Broadcasting & Cable Lifetime Achievement Award.  He also was presented with a Crystal Apple Award from New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for his contributions to the New York television industry.  Other accolades include the Walter Camp "Distinguished American Award" at Yale University and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Philbin was the 2006 inductee into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and in December of 2006 was selected by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to be inducted into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame.

A native of New York City, Philbin is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received an honorary doctorate of law degree for his contributions to Notre Dame and South Bend.  Regis and Joy have two grown daughters, Joanna and Jennifer.

 This concert is part of the nsoro SuperPOPS! Concert Series and is presented by Delta Air Lines.

About nsoro and The nsoro Foundation

nsoro, llc takes great pride in offering major telecom providers a complete suite of telecom infrastructure solutions, from project management expertise through a full range of telecom infrastructures services – installation, upgrades and structure maintenance programs. nsoro serves as a fully accountable partner that fits into a company's larger strategy. Today, nsoro is operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and India. For more information please visit us at www.nsoro.com.

The Nsoro Foundation was launched to provide support to youth in foster care, kinship care and those who have aged-out of care. The aim of the foundation is to enrich their lives by providing positive academic experiences and mentoring opportunities. Its mission is to cultivate a "circle of support" which nurtures and provides guidance to these youth and to bring awareness to the communities in which these youth reside. For more information, please visit us at www.thenf.org

Single tickets for these performances are $16-$73.  All single tickets for the 2008-09 season are available online at atlantasymphony.org or by calling (404) 733-5000. Tickets may also be purchased at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office located in the Woodruff Arts Center at 15th and Peachtree Streets. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 10am-8pm, and Saturday and Sunday12pm to 8pm.

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