American Pops Orchestra Launches Special VOCAL COMPETITION At Arena Stage, 3/23

Maestro Luke Frazier and THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA - Washington, DC's innovative hometown orchestra - has teamed up with Washington, DC chapter of The National Society of Arts and Letters for their first annual vocal competition, "NextGen: Finding The Voices of Tomorrow." The final round audition will take place on Friday, March 23 at 8:00 PM in Washington, DC at Arena Stage in The Kreeger Theater. Judges for competition will include Baayork Lee (Tony winning Broadway Legend), Jim Caruso (Birdland Jazz Club), Kelly d'Amboise (Signature Theater and APO Resident Director), and Robert Pullen (Emmy-nominated Producer and owner of Nouveau Productions). Tickets - which are $20 for adults and $10 for students - will be on sale Friday, February 2. Please visit www.TheAmericanPops.org.

The vocal completion is open to students and recent graduates from American University, Howard University, Catholic University, Shenandoah Conservatory, Ohio University and more, who have competed in first round auditions for Maestro Frazier on their campuses. Each student was asked to sing 32 bars of a song, any popular or theatrical song written before 1970.

The finals will provide an opportunity for each finalist to sing with a jazz trio from THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA in front of a live audience. The panel of acclaimed guest judges from New York City and Washington, DC will select 2 first place winners and 2 runners-up. Each first place winner will receive $500 and each runner-up will receive $250. All four winners will be guaranteed a mainstage appearance in THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA 2018-2019 season.

THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA focuses on the preservation and promotion of the American Songbook. Through a joint venture with The National Society of Arts and Letters, whose longstanding mission has been to provide scholarship and performance opportunities for aspiring young artists, the APO strives to reach and promote the next generation of artists in our area though this new and exciting competition.

"I was so fortunate to have opportunities during my college years to work with great artists from many different organizations," says Frazier. "There is nothing like putting yourself out there as an artist in front of people who want to help find ways to foster your growth artistically. NSAL and APO are committed to finding ways to give back to students and recent graduates with experiences that are transformational. We are proud to offer this opportunity to students from the DMV and beyond, we want to make room on the stage for everyone."

THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA 2017-2018 season will conclude withLet's Misbehave: Cole Porter After Dark with Mo Rocca, Liz Callaway and more on May 19, 2018. Tickets are on sale now at www.TheAmericanPops.org.

THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA founded by Luke Frazier presents innovative orchestral programming, featuring groundbreaking concepts to develop and inspire a new audience for the 21st century. This professional orchestra boasts outstanding musicians from New York and Washington DC. Over the first three seasons, The American Pops has featured top performers from Broadway, Film and Television in critically acclaimed world premiere performances. The American Pops presents six main-stage concerts per season, and twenty-four additional free community outreach concerts. The American Pops is proud to make music accessible for every resident of the DMV region.

In addition to self presented programming, other high-profile performances include the Hispanic Heritage Awards, which is nationally broadcast on PBS; theatreWashington's Helen Hayes Awards; The Giving Pledge at the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History; the Beacon Prize, given by Human Rights First to honor commitment to the American ideals of freedom and human dignity; and the DC Standing Ovation Awards, celebrating excellence in the DC Public Schools.

The APO made its New York debut at the all-star Edith Piaf Centennial Celebration at The Town Hall. According to The New York Times, "As much as any individual singer, what warmed the evening was the sumptuous lilt of the American Pops Orchestra, conducted by Luke Frazier." www.TheAmericanPops.org

Luke Frazier, a rapidly rising star in the Pops world, has proven himself as both an innately musical conductor and a sensitive pianist. His commitment to re-envisioning pops programming has quickly established him as a dynamic force across the music community. Frazier has demonstrated his versatility and range by conducting in venues both grand and intimate, from Lincoln Center to Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center to the Rainbow Room. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch put it best, calling Frazier "so talented, and sensitive to every nuance."

As a testament to his mission to reimagine pops programming, Frazier founded the American Pops Orchestra in 2015, presenting all original programming. His commitment to the American Songbook is also evident through his involvement on the Board of the Great American Songbook Foundation. In demand as a clinician, adjudicator, and speaker, Luke recently addressed the National Symphony Orchestra's "Summer Music Institute" students. He appeared as the Keynote Speaker for the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) Award for Excellence in the Arts at the Kennedy Center and also addressed the VSA, an international organization for the arts and disability. In addition to founding the National Broadway Chorus in Washington DC, he presented an original program honoring the 100th anniversary of Ella Fitzgerald's birth with the DC Youth Orchestra in Spring 2017.

Mr. Frazier has worked with artists such as Angela Lansbury, Darren Criss, Vanessa Williams, Liz Callaway, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mo Rocca, Lea Salonga, Laura Osnes, Eric Owens, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno, Lindsay Mendez, Renée Fleming, Michael Feinstein, Christine Ebersole, Elaine Paige, Arturo Sandoval, and Norm Lewis, among many others. Twitter: @LSFConductor www.LukeFrazierMusic.com

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