Peter Nero and the Philly Pops Closes Holiday Pops 12/22
By: BWW News Desk Dec. 22, 2010
The holidays POP! with Holiday Pops! when Peter Nero and the Philly Pops® makes the holiday season bright with 10 spectacular performances this December (December 4-5, 10-12, 15, 18-19, 21-22, 2010). Join Peter and the full Philly Pops orchestra for this holiday extravaganza that features special guest Rachel York, Philly's favorite organist Peter Richard Conte, the POPS Festival Chorus, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Gospel Choir, and the Philadelphia Boys Choir. The festivities include a special audience sing-along, a Holiday POPS! tradition, and a stunning finale with the nearly 300 person company on the Verizon Hall stage. From beloved classics of the season to glorious gospel music, Holiday POPS! is the quintessential holiday treat and a wonderful way for the whole family to celebrate together.
Performances of Holiday POPS! take place December 4 at 3:00 p.m., December 5 at 3:00 p.m., December 10 at 8:00 p.m., December 11 at 3:00 p.m., December 12 at 8:00 p.m., December 15 at 8:00 p.m., December 18 at 3:00 p.m., December 19 at 8:00 p.m., December 21 at 8:00 p.m., and December 22 at 8:00 p.m.
Nearly 300 performers take to the Verizon Hall stage to entertain and enchant audiences as part of this year's Holiday POPS! program. Special guest Rachel York, a Broadway veteran and Drama Desk Award-winner for her performance in Victor/Victoria, joins Peter and the POPS to sing beloved holiday classics. Familiar to POPS audiences from her 2007 appearances in Broadway Showstoppers: Best of the Tonys, Ms. York has lit up the Great White Way in hits such as City of Angels, Les Misérables, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Another fan favorite-organist Peter Richard Conte-returns to add the power and might of the Kimmel Center's magnificent Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ to the celebration. Known to generations of Philadelphians as the Grand Court Organist of the Wanamaker Organ in Macy's Center City; Mr. Conte is only the fourth person to hold the title since the organ first played in 1911.
No Holiday POPS! program would be complete without The Combined sound of three spectacular local choruses-the POPS Festival Chorus, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Gospel Choir, and the Philadelphia Boys Choir. The POPS Festival Chorus, led by POPS chorus director Jeffrey Kern, is made up of community members who audition to sing with the ensemble and rehearse over an eight-week period. The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Gospel Choir, a wonderful partner of Peter and The POPS since 2005, represents the first African American Episcopal congregation in the U.S. (founded in 1792) and consists of approximately 30 singers from six different churches in the Philadelphia area. The Philadelphia Boys Choir, a diverse ensemble comprised of talented boys from the Greater Philadelphia region, once again lends its angelic voice to the festivities.
The seasonal celebration continues for POPS fans, who can ring in 2011 in style as Peter Nero and the Philly Pops hosts its first-ever New Year's Eve concert, Swinging in the New Year (December 31). Be there as Peter and The POPS host a finger-snapping, toe-tapping extravaganza featuring the coolest music ever performed-swing! Oh, and one more thing-full audience participation is expected for a special "honk-along!" What is a honk-along? Only one way to find out!
The 2010-11 season then continues with Singin' & Swingin' with Ann Hampton Callaway (February 2, 4-6, 2011); 50's Dance Party featuring the music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper (March 2, 4-6, 2011); Music and Comedy with Robert Klein (March 30, April 1-3, 2011); and Big Numbers featuring Peter Nero at the piano and the unmatched virtuosos of the Philly Pops playing your most requested songs (May 15, 18, 20-21, 2011).
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of Peter Nero's recording career, which eventually produced 67 recordings. In 1960 he was signed to a three-year contract with RCA Victor Records, which was then renewed for another five years, producing more than 26 LPs, including Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Piano Concerto in F with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. The following year, he was honored with his first Grammy Award, as "Best New Artist of the Year."
In October 2009 pianist and conductor Peter Nero was honored with lifetime achievement awards from the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and the Philadelphia Musicians' Union Local 77, AFM. He also received the Mario Lanza Award, in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of music, in November 2009.
"If the perfect pops conductor could be conjured, ... he might answer to this description," wrote Philadelphia Inquirer music critic Peter Dobrin: "Huge talent with polymath abilities and catholic tastes. Musician who actually enjoys giving audiences what they want. Plays piano like a dream. ... [H]e might look something like Peter Nero."
"Peter Nero is, of course, known for his piano playing, covering a range from classical concert repertoire to straight-ahead jazz. His fingers stretch as far as Art Tatum's, and he practically knows no limits on the Steinway. He is also a fine conductor ... Philadelphia is lucky to have him and his, by now, trademark Philly Pops," said All About Jazz's Victor L. Schermer on May 8, 2009.
A two-time Grammy Award-winning pianist, Peter Nero leads his unrivaled Pops orchestra blending classical, swing, Broadway, blues, and jazz-all performed with virtuosity, authenticity, and an inviting sense of humor. The Washington Post has called him "the epitome of the Pops Conductor/Performer."
One of his greatest achievements is being the founding Music Director of the world renowned Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. On January 27, 2007, Mr. Nero joined Rod Stewart from the piano for a performance of "They Can't Take That Away from Me" at the Academy of Music 150th Anniversary Concert. Mr. Nero's recent guest performances include engagements with the Indianapolis Symphony, the National Arts Centre Symphony in Ottawa, the Charlotte Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony, among others. His complete concert schedule can be found at www.peternero.com.
As a Steinway artist for over 50 years, Mr. Nero returned to New York's Carnegie Hall in 2003 to perform at a gala celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Steinway with many noted pianists, including Dr. Billy Taylor, Herbie Hancock, and Michel Legrand.
Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Nero began his formal music training at the age of seven. By the time he was 14, he was accepted to New York City's prestigious High School of Music and Art and won a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music. Constance Keene, his teacher and mentor, once wrote in an issue of Keyboard Classics that "Vladimir Horowitz was Peter's greatest fan!"
In addition to his two Grammy awards, he has garnered 10 additional nominations and released 68 albums. After his early association with RCA Records, he moved to Columbia Records, which resulted in a million-selling single and album-The Summer of '42-now available on CD.
His recordings over the last 14 years include two CDs with the Philly Pops, Holiday POPS! and Broadway Showstoppers, and three CDs with full symphony orchestra: On My Own, Classic Connections, and My Way. He also recorded Peter Nero and Friends, which contains collaborations with Mel Tormé, Maureen McGovern, and Doc Severinsen, among others. His latest CDs are romantic albums titled Love Songs for a Rainy Day and More in Love. By popular demand, four of his earlier vinyl recordings have been re-issued on CD. Music lovers of all generations can now hear him on Rod Stewart's album As Time Goes By ... The Great American Songbook, Volume II.
Mr. Nero's first major national TV success came at age 17 when he was chosen to perform Rhapsody in Blue on Paul Whiteman's TV special. He subsequently appeared on many top variety and talk shows, including 11 guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and numerous appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Hailed as one of the premier interpreters of Gershwin, Mr. Nero starred in the Emmy Award-winning NBC Special "S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous, S'Gershwin." Other TV credits include performances on PBS-TV's "Piano Pizzazz" and with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C., on its July 4th special titled "A Capitol Fourth." He served as music director and pianist for the PBS-TV special "The Songs of Johnny Mercer: Too Marvelous for Words" with co-stars Johnny Mathis, Melissa Manchester, and the Philly Pops.
Among Mr. Nero's long list of honors are six honorary doctorates (the most recent from Drexel University in 2004) and the prestigious International Society of Performing Arts Presenters Award for "Excellence in the Arts." He is also included on two historic walks of fame-one in Philadelphia, and one in Miami, Florida. In 1999 he received the Pennsylvania Distinguished Arts Award, presented by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. Previous honorees include Marian Anderson, James Michener, Andrew Wyeth, and Riccardo Muti. In February 2009, the Abraham Lincoln Foundation of the Union League of Philadelphia presented Mr. Nero with its prestigious Lincoln Award as part of its Lincoln Day 2009 celebration. The Award is given to persons of distinction who, through their actions, have significantly contributed to the United States of America.
Peter Nero is an active supporter of many important causes, including the funding of school music programs, fundraising for the building of new arts centers across the country, as well as research for cancer, dystonia, and autism.
When not touring the world, Peter Nero makes his home in the Philadelphia area. He has two children-Beverly, a successful film producer residing with her husband in California, and Jedd, a commercial real estate entrepreneur residing with his wife near New York City. Both children have made him a grandfather.
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops
Recently hailed by allaboutjazz.com as "arguably the best pops ensemble on the planet today," Peter Nero and the Philly Pops was founded in 1979 under the musical leadership of pianist and conductor Peter Nero. Maestro Nero's unique talents and innovative programming ideas blend all musical genres making their concerts widely popular in the pops world. POPS concerts run the gamut from great classics to jazz improvisation, big band to Broadway hits, ragtime to rock 'n' roll. Peter's participation as piano soloist is always received with boundless enthusiasm and acclaim. Guest artists-both established stars as well as outstanding new vocalists from Broadway and the concert stage-join The POPS each season. The Voices of The POPS, the resident vocal group, has become a member of the Philly Pops family as well.
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops is the Official Pops Orchestra of The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a significant part of Philadelphia's cultural scene. The POPS has produced continuously growing and loyal audiences and performs to regularly sold-out crowds as a resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops has played a role in the City of Philadelphia's Fourth of July celebration for over 25 years. On July 3, 2009, for the sixth consecutive year, Peter and The POPS performed a free outdoor concert in front of Independence Hall. This immensely popular annual event, which includes a musical tribute to all branches of the armed forces, draws thousands of attendees. The 2008 concert also featured Peter and The POPS performing music for the wedding of premier historic re-enactors Ralph Archbold and Linda Wilde, better known to Philadelphians as Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross. On July 4, 2006, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops performed a free outdoor concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Their concert on the Parkway the previous Independence Day, featuring Sir Elton John, Patti LaBelle, and Bryan Adams, reached over a half million people. Other notables who have joined them for past city celebrations include James Earl Jones, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Ray Charles, Boyz II Men, and Dionne Warwick.
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops celebrated its 30th anniversary during the 2008-09 season. Their Holiday POPS! CD featuring vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway is available on DRG Records.
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops had the honor of performing at the opening of the National Constitution Center in 2003, and participating in National Public Radio's nation-wide radio broadcast on July 4, 2002. Another highlight took place in April 2002, when Astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn made a guest appearance with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, in a special performance of Peter's original composition Voyage into Space at the Kimmel Center. Peter and The POPS was featured on ABC-TV's "Independence Day 2001," a live, star-studded national broadcast, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Whoopi Goldberg, and Garth Brooks.
Other memorable moments through the years include a performance at the Republican National Convention during the summer of 2000; a Washington, D.C., gala performance to commemorate NASA's 40th anniversary in 1998; Philadelphia's "We the People" concert, the 1987 celebration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, which was broadcast nationally on CBS-TV; and a debut at New York City's Carnegie Hall in 1984, with a return visit in 1997.
For many years Peter Nero and the Philly Pops performed in the historic Academy of Music. In December 2001, they became the second largest resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, a state-of-the-art, world-class venue on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts.
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops is presented by Encore Series, Inc., a non-profit organization enriching the cultural life of Philadelphia through the performing arts. For more information, please visit www.phillypops.org
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