The Philly POPS Presents THE MUSIC OF DAVID BOWIE: A MUSICAL ODYSSEY, March 26
With rich lyrics, cosmic soundscapes, and danceable beats, Bowie was one of the most influential musicians and songwriters of the last century.
By: A.A. Cristi Jan. 07, 2022
The Philly POPS presents Windborne's The Music of David Bowie: A Musical Odyssey, coming to the Met Philadelphia on Saturday March 26. Tickets for this one-night-only performance will go on sale on Thursday, January 13 at 10 a.m. at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/02005C23F6F75D69.
For this special performance, The Philly POPS will be joined by Broadway and West End star Tony Vincent and will feature unique arrangements of Bowie's greatest hits, including "Changes," "Under Pressure," "Space Oddity," "Fame," and more by conductor and arranger Brent Havens.
With rich lyrics, cosmic soundscapes, and danceable beats, Bowie was one of the most influential musicians and songwriters of the last century. Bowie's music pushed the boundaries of rock, helping pioneer genres like art rock, glam rock, and electro-pop. Through his career, Bowie received six GRAMMY awards and released 26 studio albums, including two recorded in Philadelphia: Young Americans at Sigma Sound in 1975 and David Live at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA, in 1974.
"In the case of Bowie, he's so musically rich, the orchestra gets to play all these really cool licks, said Havens. "I can listen and hear the counterpoint, and I can distribute it among the strings and woodwinds and brass."
The POPS previously performed with Havens and Windborne for the sold-out A Night at the Opera House: The Music of Queen at The Met Philadelphia in 2019.
Tony Vincent grew up in the small town of Albuquerque, NM, where from a young age he was exposed to the music of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. In his early teens Vincent began writing songs heavily influenced by Depeche Mode, New Order and Tears for Fears. While attending university (Nashville, TN), Vincent started a makeshift record company out of his dorm room and recorded a five-song EP, which led to a recording contract with EMI records. The two solo albums (Tony Vincent, One Deed) followed producing six #1 Billboard radio singles.
Shortly after moving to NYC in 1997 to continue his recording career, Vincent took an unexpected detour into the world of rock-based theater, joining the cast of RENT, initially as part of the first national tour, then making his Broadway debut in the New York production in 1999. He was featured as Simon Zealotes in Andrew Lloyd Webber's remake of the film Jesus Christ Superstar (2000), and when the production was revived on Broadway that same year Vincent earned critical acclaim starring as Judas Iscariot. In 2002 Vincent originated the role of Galileo Figaro in the rock band Queen's smash hit We Will Rock You in London's West End. He also fronted the band itself on several occasions, including a performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" at Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee concert for a live audience of over 1 million people surrounding Buckingham Palace and over 200 million television viewers world-wide. Two years later he was invited to Las Vegas to open the North American premier of We Will Rock You (2004-2005).
During this time Vincent continued to write, and in 2008 independently released the EP A Better Way, produced by Adam Anders. In the fall of 2009, he returned to Broadway, originating the role of St. Jimmy in Green Day's American Idiot. Vincent is best known for his appearance on the second season of NBC's reality singing competition, The Voice. While on the show, Vincent was selected to be on "Team Cee Lo," and made a lasting impression on fans worldwide with his final performance of The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams." After 10 long months of writing, recording and producing, Vincent released his highly anticipated studio project, In My Head, through iTunes and cdbaby on July 10th, 2012. Tony Vincent continues to write and produce for future projects, both as a solo artist, as a producer for other artists and under the band moniker Mercer.
Berklee-trained arranger/conductor Brent Havens has written music for orchestras, feature films and virtually every kind of television. His TV work includes movies for networks such as ABC, CBS and ABC Family Channel Network, commercials, sports music for networks such as ESPN and even cartoons. Havens has also worked with the Doobie Brothers and the Milwaukee Symphony, arranging and conducting the combined group for Harley Davidson's 100th Anniversary Birthday Party Finale attended by over 150,000 fans. He has worked with some of the world's greatest orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic and the BBC Concert Orchestra in London, the CBSO in Birmingham, England, the Malaysian Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, Orchestra of Opera North in Leeds, England and countless others.
Havens recently completed the score for the film "Quo Vadis," a Premier Pictures remake of the 1956 gladiator film. In 2013 he worked with the Baltimore Symphony and the NFL's Baltimore Ravens to arrange and produce the music for the Thanksgiving Day halftime show between the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, adapting both classical music and rock songs into a single four minute show. Havens is Arranger/Guest Conductor for all of the symphonic rock programs for Windborne Music.
The Met Philadelphia recently reestablished itself as the crown jewel of North Broad Street's rensaissance after a $56 million restoration in 2018. Originally built by Oscar Hammerstein in 1908, the Met Philadelphia was once the largest theater in the world. Find out more at www.TheMetPhilly.com.
Comments
Videos